Links To The Present: May 24, 2010
2010-05-24
“Those problems plus, according to sources, some disagreement over some game plans for playoff games with some of the team leaders eventually led to some discord in the locker room during the Celtics series” [Brian Windhorst on The Firing of Mike Brown]
“Usually, teams want new coaches in place before the draft and the start of free agency. But with the circumstances, the team may not be able to make a decision until after James does. That might not be until July.” [Brian Windhorst on Possible Cavs Coaches]
“I think we’re all at fault — the players, everybody. You have to, at some point, accept some of the responsibility. We all have to do that. A coach only can take you so far. At some point you have to do it yourself and we didn’t do it. I think coach Brown will be fine. He’ll be coaching again, and I’m very sure he’ll have success.” [Z from Mary Schmitt Boyer’s Article]
“The defensive imprint he had made on the team was, however, similarly overstated, at least of late. A rash of regular-season injuries forced Brown to play a style of basketball in which he did not truly believe. Fitting it all back together on the fly in the playoffs was a task beyond Brown’s means, particularly since the game plan was so different with Shaquille O’Neal than without him.” [Bill Livingston on Mike Brown]
“As the Cavs begin their search, they can’t worry about what James wants in a coach — unless it’s a guy who has a reputation of clashing with most superstars. They need to find the best coach possible, because who knows what James will do.” [Terry Pluto on the Cavs Search for a new Coach]
“For the next five weeks or so, James is a Cav, and the team has the opportunity to try to keep it that way before other teams can officially communicate with James. That means Gilbert has a chance to execute a hire that will excite James and firm up his passion for playing in his hometown. The Cavs owner, who was the driving force behind the firing of Brown, who had also lost the support of James and his teammates, has already shown that he will spend money on talent. And with that in mind, general manager Danny Ferry will attack the trade market like a corporate takeover specialist.” [Brian Windhorst Special to ESPN]
But money talks. And Dan Gilbert – despite not exactly breaking the bank over the course of the last two seasons – is arguably one of the most willing spenders that the city of Cleveland has ever seen. The fact that the Cavaliers could be devalued by over $100 million in the event of James leaving may make the money needed to sway either Jackson or Krzyzewksi be considered marginal at best. [Scott – WFNY]
“But Brown helped James elevate his game. Buying into Brown’s defense-first mantra, James was selected to the NBA’s all-defensive first team the past two seasons. Brown convinced James that a chase-down block was just as awe-inspiring as a monster slam. But many — including President Barack Obama — questioned how much James respected Brown. The coach was tuned out by the media because of his lack of meaty sound bites. Was that the case for the players, too?” [Marla Ridenour – ABJ]
Agreed. Don’t get me wrong…MB was infuriatingly slow on in-game adjustments, and was a mediocre rotation manager in my armchair estimation, but the book on Mike Brown was written by some really shallow pundits that only caught an occasional Cavs game. I love Z’s comments in reaction to the firing, and agree with every word of it. It comes down to players making big plays when it matters and Mike Brown’s shortcomings aren’t the reason Mo went 0-2 on potential game winners in ECF game 1 last year, nor the reason Delonte couldn’t come up with a crucial rebound in… Read more »
@HMC – great points. Defense allows you to compete regardless of offensive firepower. Defense, rebounding, and length were all staples of Mike Brown teams, until the Cavs decided they needed more offensive firepower. Hindsight is 20/20 and I loved the moves the Cavs made when they made them. But if they are going to make a commitment to players like Mo, Jamison, and Shaq, that has got to be Mike Brown’s worst nightmare. I’m not sure Brown got enough (if any) credit for Hickson’s development this season. It takes guts to play a young, mistake prone guy like Hickson. But… Read more »
@Sanskover: It’s proven. Defensive teams can at least compete, regardless of roster. Contrary to popular belief, the Cavs weren’t “just” LeBron. The team D was just as responsible for CLE’s success, and that was all Mike Brown. Teams based on an offensive idealogy usually stink. Period. The Bucks, Heat, ‘Cats and Thunder…all terrible teams last season…all made huge strides and made the postseason with a firm commitment to the defensive end, while a loaded team like Toronto, who can’t couldn’t guard a crosswalk, and the Knicks with a decent cast and offensive “genius” D’Antoni both stunk it up yet again.… Read more »
Rich – I guess we’ll find out about Brown, because he will be coaching again. Chiming back: That IS the issue. No one expects the President (or anybody else in a position of importance) to be neutral when it comes to civic pride/sports fandom. I keep hearing reading comments from people saying everyone has a right to his/her opinion. OK. That is CLEARLY not the issue here. He (badly) crossed the line when he and Marv Albert discussed (at length) LeBron playing somewhere else and then joked about whether or not Stern could fine him for tampering. That’s a big… Read more »
I think people are going to see very quickly how average Mike Brown is when he doesn’t have LeBron James on his team.
And just to chime in, President’s can have opinions on anything and pay attention to anything. I just really don’t know if it’s appropriate for them to make public pleas for a player to come to their favorite team. He can ssay he likes basketball. he can say he likes the Bulls. Probably shouldn’t say LeBron should head to Chicago though.
@HMC: Actually, may Mike Brown’s next team have no superstar who can win games all by himself. Then we’ll see what made him the winningest coach in Cavs’ history.
Good luck Mike Brown. May your next team not feature a superstar too arrogant to even attempt to run a play in late game situations, preferring to channel his inner wanna-be MJ and isoloate at the top regardless the set that was called, and a point guard with the playmaking chops to actually carry out an offensive gameplan.
I liked mike brown and I think the cavs will regret firing him but Gilbert had to cover his behind. If he doesn’t fire brown and lebron leaves everyone will say it was because of that. As far as the President having an opinion on basketball – that’s just wonderful. As for him campaigning for LBJ to leave Cleveland – that is ridiculous imo.
I love the sentiment that elected officials are supposed to talk and think about nothing but work. Why would you want to be governed by someone who doesn’t have any interests outside of their job? Mike Brown … definitely one of the least surprising bits of news I’ve heard all year. Only surprising thing was the timing, but it kind of makes sense. I’m not quite as confident as Windy that they’ll be able to sign a top brain before July, but it will at least give them an opportunity to float some offers and remind LeBron that Gilbert is… Read more »
@Rich- I agree about the Cavs offensive schemes this postseason. But everybody downplayed how hard it would be going from small ball to shaq ball. He hard the hardest job this postseason..IMO… and yes, clearly couldn’t handle the job.
@Justin.. what an original and thoughtful statement about the Pres…(not) He actually has some decent insight on the game that you’ve never seen or heard from a US pres before. I like it.
@Z -exactly right. The players deserve more of the blame. But give Boston A LOT of credit. They’re currently demoralizing Orlando as well
Justin, the Hawks are a playoff team. They are already at the Mike Brown level. Add to that, Mike Woodson just got fired for running the same slow-down, 1on1 offense with little to no movement, and that would be the dumbest hire in league history.
I really liked mike brown but he just couldn’t get it done here. He needs to go to a team that needs a defensive identity to make it to the next level, and be a playoff team. Say, the Hawks? And I think that any team that wants to make a serious bid at LeBron needs to stay away from Mike Brown because of this season *cough* Chicago* *cough*
And shouldnt Barrack Obama be running a country? seriously now….
Goodness, the thought of seeing Lebron in a proper offense makes my mouth water.
It had to happen. The man could coach defense. There was slippage this year, but you ahve to look at the 5 years as a whole. He was good at it. But the complete stagnation of the offense couldn’t stand any longer. 0 real development in terms of offensive schemes, even with better offensive talent.
Like I’ve said before, if you want a championship team, you need a championship coach. A championship coach can successfully coach both sides of the ball. Mike Brown couldn’t, and because this team is now in championship or bust mode, he had to go.