In a surprise move, that is really not all that surprising, the Los Angeles Lakers have fired head coach Mike Brown five games into the season. The Lakers are off to a disappointing 1-4 start after rounding up Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to come to L.A. to play alongside Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.
The Lakers preseason hype was even more than when the Miami Heat landed LeBron James and Chris Bosh. After some people predicted them to challenge the Chicago Bulls’ NBA record 72-10 season, starting with four out of five losses clearly does not measure up.
Brown has been criticized throughout his entire career for not getting the best out of his team and being overruled by his own players (first LeBron, now Kobe). It was only a matter of time before he was out.
There is no word yet on who will replace Brown short term. I think Kobe Bryant should just do it, because that is the reality of the situation, but it will probably be Chuck Person or Bernie Bickerstaff, one of the Lakers’ assistants.
Rumors are flying around about the permanent solution for head coach. Lakers fans surely want Phil Jackson back, but only he knows if that is a possibility or not. There’s also the chance of reuniting Steve Nash with former coach Mike D’Antoni.
Stay tuned as this drama made for TV plays out in L.A.
Image: USA Today
