Mike Brown Back In Cleveland? Are You Sure About That?

Mike Brown gets a 2nd chance with Cleveland. Photo Credit Sports Illustrated

Mike Brown has an impressive win percentage of .653 in his seven year head coaching career in the NBA. His 314-167 record is due to his 5 years coaching the Cleveland Cavaliers, more importantly, coaching LeBron James. He is a familiar face for Cavs fans and is good with Dan Gilbert, so I can see why bring him back, but the circumstances around his release from the Cavs and Lakers should raise concern for Cavs Fans.


Mike Brown,  with a winning season and postseason record, was let go by the Dan Gilbert for one reason, LeBron James. James did not agree with Brown's lack of offensive game planning. Brown cut his teeth in pro basketball as a defensive assistant coach with the Washington Wizards, San Antonio Spurs, and the Indiana Pacers. The man knows defense.

The move to fire Mike Brown was supposed to be the good gesture needed for James to stay in Cleveland, but it didn't work as we all know. Not a bad move I might add, when you look at the results.

Brown lands on his feet, however, with a coaching gig under the bright lights of the Los Angeles Lakers. The first season they finish 41-25, win a Pacific Division Title, and lose in the Western Conference Semifinals. As a head coach, he has lost four semifinals in six consecutive years coaching, but made it further the other two times. Yet, with that track record, he didn't make it six games the following season.

Brown let go after 5 games this season

Why? It's the same reason he was let go in Cleveland. When you have a team with a superstar, LeBron James or Kobe Bryant for our purposes, a coach has to be on the same level with him. They have to share the same basketball philosophy, and Brown's thinking is based on tough defense and a set offense. LeBron and Kobe want the ball move freely on the offensive end. It may have been tolerable his first year in LA, but when you add two more superstars with Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, you get canned before the end of the first month.

Kyrie Irving

The Cavaliers coaching job is best-case-scenario for any out-of-work head coach. You have young team filled with lottery picks, a great fanbase looking for get behind a winner, and you already have an All-Star in Kyrie Irving with tremendous upside. Sounds similar to his first stint in 2005 doesn't it.

I'm sure by now both LeBron James and Kobe Bryant have sent a text or made a call to Irving to give him the heads up. Hopefully, Mike Brown gets the memo too.

Follow Rodney Fisher on twitter @RodneyRFisher