Friday, November 9th, 2012 at 12:35 pm  |  158 responses

Mike Brown Fired By the Los Angeles Lakers (UPDATE)


by Marcel Mutoni@marcel_mutoni

UPDATE: Um … wow! According to USA Today, Mike Brown is no longer gainfully employed. The Lakers fired their head coach, a day after saying his job was safe: “Mike Brown has been fired by the Los Angeles Lakers, according to his agent Warren Legarie. The Lakers are off to a 1-4 start and will play Golden State tonight at the Staples Center.”

+++++++++++++++

Publicly, the Los Angeles Lakers — everyone from management to players with influence — are saying all of the right, re-assuring things about Mike Brown.

However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the team’s disappointing 1-4 start to the season has the sharks circling around the embattled head coach.

Unemployed coaches are rumored to be interested in Brown’s job, and there’s now talk that management is losing patience with him.

Per ESPN:

Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike Brown’s job would be in immediate jeopardy if the team’s six-game homestand is unsuccessful, according to sources close to the situation.

Sources said that the Lakers, while having publicly expressed support for Brown in the wake of a 1-4 start, have privately grown sufficiently concerned about the state of the team to the point that management is prepared to look seriously at a coaching change at this early juncture if L.A. can’t take advantage of what look to be multiple winnable games in the upcoming stretch.

Believe it or not, there is good news on the horizon for Mike Brown. In theory, anyway: the Lakers have a long, and easy homestand starting tonight, and their record should look a lot more respectable in the coming days.

It’s going to be a fascinating season for the Lakers and Mike Brown. Whether he survives it, remains very much up in the air.

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  • Brion

    All jokes aside, is there any chance in hell that Phil would or could shock everyone and come back?

  • Redd

    Phil Jackson.

  • shockexchange

    Then just when SVG gets things turned around, Pat Riley coincidentally decides he wants to return to L.A. to coach.

  • http://twitter.com/DPisWill DePaul Williams

    Mike Brown had two greats in Lebron James and Kobe Bryant, and with neither squads could he get the job done…I thought that was a horrible hire to begin with… Phil Jackson is the greatest coach in terms of managing superstars and egos…will he take the job? My heart says no, but logically it makes sense cause he has all the tools and pieces to make another run for an aging kobe and crew, BUT I really dont know…

    I really think its Phil or bust, cause imo they had more problems defensively than offensively but thats just my imo, mike brown needed to go regardless

  • The Philosopher

    Called it.
    Early.

  • Redd

    Mike Brown looks like he’s Mike Woodsons son to me.

  • Slick Ric

    Lakers need athleticism on the perimeter, they should of been looking to replace MWP in the starting line-up over the summer with someone younger and fresher. This was too early of a move for me, they should of at least gave him an opportunity to right the ship so to speak.

  • orlandp

    Reunite Van Gundy with Howard! haha

  • The Mauve Avenger

    Phil Jackson descends from the sky, horns blaring, doves flying.

  • shockexchange

    This entire scenario was a complete overreaction in the Shock Exchange’s opinion. It’s only a few games in and the team needs to get adjusted to a new offense and a lot of new faces. The Shock Exchange always thought that the Lakers would right the ship, knock off a Harden-less OKC in the WCF and overpower the Heat inside to take the cake. Now the snakes have come out with “Mike Brown’s a nice guy but he was in over his head.” Last year the guy had the same result as Phil Jackson previous to him – an exit in the second round of the playoffs. Now everyone’s pining for Phil to return.
    Mike Brown deserved better than this.

  • ash

    That was very quick! Only 5 games into the season with new players and new offense. But kobe is only here for another 2 years so I understanfing the giring. Anyhow, Phil jackson will not be coaching the Lakers remember he stated he wants to be in magement and doesn’t want to coach anymore. So, brian shaw should get the job

  • The Philosopher

    Kind of like nbk’s suggestion in Mike D’Antoni.
    I like Nate McMillan, too.

  • shockexchange

    L.A. has “exceptionally more talent” than the rest of the L. It was only a matter of time before they separated themselves from the rest of the Western Conference. They received a gift in Harden leaving. And King James’ chirping about how he’s not concerned about the Heat’s lack of size is a de facto admittance that he’s scared to death of Pau Gasol / D12 at the same ____ time.

  • Jerome

    They said the job was secure, not Brown holding the job. Bring on Charles Barkley. Read it here first folks.

  • bike

    Yeah, Brown’s not a bad guy at all. He’s a good choice for an assistant somewhere where his defensive expertise is promoted. Given the expectations of this team coupled with the egos, it might just be the toughest coaching challange in the league right now.

  • Hart26

    Sloan will be the new coach no doubt

  • Kadavour

    the roster is incomplete. Dwight was the single addition who ADDs to the team’s defensive rating. Everyone else has glaring deficiencies. Adding Jamison was a mistake. A young athletic big who can stretch the floor like a Donte Greene would have been a better fit. Ebanks shows potential, but he doesn’t get burn. The 2 Steves has to be the worst defensive PG rotation in the history of bad defensive PG rotations.

  • Redd

    Didn’t the Heat start off even worse?

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    they shouldn’t just be a good offense. They should be a top 2 offense.

  • Truth

    The Heat didn’t suffer a coaching change during the season. The odds are stacked against the Lakers even with all that talent.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    @disqus_j65FuvcSML:disqus everything i’ve been reading says Kobe was completely supportive of Mike Brown up until about 2 weeks ago.

  • ThaWindy

    Whoever told mike brown to use the Princeton offense should be fired. Why would you change your offense? Look at Thibs. Drose is out but the bulls have not gone with a offense. And havent fixed the huge lack off scoring issues but that’s a different story.. And somebody get Phills big ass chair.

  • SwaGG_SeaN

    Right now Brian Shaw is somewhere laughing lmao

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Mike-Gilbert/100001749589586 Mike Gilbert

    wow..didnt they just say his job was safe? lol

  • Uncle shookey

    Time Warner got brown out to. so much money out there. He had to go. You can start 20 years like this. With so many fan going to Time Warner they would like to keep it that way for 20 years sorry Mr. Brown you new the job was dangerous when you took it.

  • bike

    Wonder what offense they will run in tonights game? The Mambachuckaton?

  • PickUpGame

    They already have a defense problem not sure D’Antoni can help!

  • Caboose

    They should seriously consider throwing a big deal at Mike Budenholzer. Dude deserves a head coaching job.

  • roscoe

    all bets are off anytime a coach wears a red sweater vest over a white polo while rocking black shorts with white sneakers on.

  • Dutch Rich

    Here’s what I’m hoping. Phil is currently dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on a Motion Triangle hybrid offense. It will be his signature legacy achievement, a custom created offense that will live on and will go down into the annals of the HOA as the “Dirty Taco Offense”…. It will create more buckets than Popeye and KFC combined.
    This is what I want to see. It will cause more ruckus than StoneLove vs Metromedia.
    Because we been fiending for that Kobe vs Bron face-off since the puppets. And Mike Brown has had a propensity of not delivering on that promise that Nike made to us 3 yrs ago. Man I just had a vision of an Uncle Drew KFC commercial. Can you see him standing in line with the little kids. “Uncle…What u getting? “I get’s ………..!!!!!!

  • roscoe

    Mike Woodson is going to look like mbrown soon, unemployed.

  • LakeShow

    Works 40% of the time, EVERY TIME.

  • Dutch Rich

    I forgot to take him up on that wager he put out. Could’ve gotten me a trip for 4 to movies with popcorn.

  • LakeShow

    Link me to a real article if you can.

  • lmao

    good job DWight

  • Caboose

    I’d actually give Mike Budenholzer a shot if LA can lure him away from San Antonio…

  • Pingback: Brown was never a fit for Los Angeles | Sports Zone News

  • PacerFan19a

    Hire Stan Van Gundy… just to see Dwight Howards face.

  • TheWhiteMarkPrice

    As always Shock Exchange spewing diarrhea all over a serious conversation cause of lack of intellect.

  • Yi-Cheng Chen

    it’s the Lakers, that’s why.

  • Datkid

    Kobe… told him to use the princeton actually.

  • Datkid

    they’d won more games by this point.

  • shockexchange

    The Shock Exchange has a saying for an occasion like this: “Humor is a way of saying something serious.”

  • uqk

    but uhmmm…mike brown is a defensive coach?

  • The Fury

    Who’s he?? Just curious…

  • christianbullen

    can’t leave ya hangin man… “BUCKETSS!”

  • http://www.facebook.com/shooting.guard.319 Shooting Guard

    lol

  • http://www.facebook.com/shooting.guard.319 Shooting Guard

    First mistake was hiring him, this is the LA Lakers we’re talking about. A normal family man as coach it not enough

  • KBM

    Scary Jerry Sloan ascends from the depths, Hornacek blarin, doves frying.

  • danpowers

    lol yup

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