Mike Brown: Kobe Bryant ‘On Board’ With New Vision


Mike Brown impressed the LA media during his introductory press conference, and according to the Lakers’ new head coach, Kobe Bryant — despite what was perceived as some initial skepticism — likes what he’s hearing from the new bench boss. From the OC Register: “The Lakers’ newest coach stood his ground about what he will do amid the championship expectations, expressed certainty that Kobe Bryant is ‘on board’ and answered doubts about his offensive creativity with confidence that a San Antonio Spurs-style offense that meshed Tim Duncan and David Robinson together would work wonders for Lakers twin towers Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. ‘I’ll define a culture, I’ll define roles, and I’ll hold people accountable,’ Brown said Tuesday. ‘The makeup of the culture will be one of trust, communication, defense, a no-excuses mentality, a family environment and a determined work ethic.’ … Brown insisted he and James always got along well despite reports to the contrary and talked about how the Lakers’ ‘family’ atmosphere already has begun through his long phone conversation with Bryant’s wife, Vanessa, and talks with other players such as Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher and Ron Artest. Brown said he has had a lot of interaction with Bryant, speaking ‘by a phone a few times (and meeting) in person at length.’ Brown said Bryant will remain the focal point of the team — ‘This is still his team; Kobe is Kobe’ — and will get the ball in his favorite spots despite the departure of Jackson’s triangle offense that has served Bryant so well. Brown said the Spurs’ post-oriented offense that won him his lone NBA championship ring as Gregg Popovich’s assistant in 2003 will be the template for these Lakers. Brown said his philosophy is to tailor the offensive scheme to the personnel — but ‘you can take your defense from team to team as long as you have effort.’ Brown referred to the statistic that the winner of the Dallas-Miami NBA Finals will be the 15th champion in the past 16 years to have a defense ranked in the league’s top eight. ‘That’s something we’ll preach from Day One,’ he said about the Lakers needing outstanding defense.”