Firing Mike Brown
Wanna keep LeBron? Gotta lose Mike.Blame is a complicated thing, especially in this purportedly simple endeavor we call sports. When a game or series can hinge on so many variables, the loser has a number of directions to point his finger: referees, weather, teammates, injuries, distractions … anything to steer the blame away from himself.
The ‘07 NBA Finals are basically over, and whether the Spurs claim the trophy this week in Cleveland or next week in San Antonio, the time is coming when the Cavs will be looking to place blame.
Mike Brown doesn’t deserve all of it. Anyone who knows basketball knew (whether they wanted to admit it or not) that Tim Duncan and Co. would win this series while making the Cavs look like a March Madness 14-seed trying to hang with a 3-seed in the process. And Brown isn’t solely to blame for how this series has played out.
But when it’s all said and done, and the Cavs have wrapped up the best season in franchise history, Mike Brown still needs to be fired.
Brown’s shortcomings as a coach were exposed in last year’s playoffs, when his offensive game planning (which sits somewhere between “unimaginative” and “nonexistent”) and poor late-game management came into play when the Cavs squeaked by Washington and ultimately fell to Detroit. This year it’s been no different. The Cavs played like a badly-coached team while trudging through the injury-depleted Wizards, the overrated Nets and the uninspired (and also badly-coached) Pistons.
Against San Antonio, Brown’s deficiencies have shined brighter than the wardrobe room of a Kid ‘n Play movie. He watched Tony Parker abuse Larry Hughes for two games, and didn’t change the lineup until Hughes literally couldn’t play anymore. He didn’t play the right players for the right situations, like when he had Ilgauskas on the bench at the end of Game 3 and left Varejao and Eric Snow (arguably his two worst offensive players) on the court when Cleveland needed to score. And he’s mishandled LeBron’s playing time (first quarter, Game 2) and potential.
Seriously, I wrote before Game 1 that Brown needed to mix it up with LeBron. Here’s what I said at the time: “Mike Brown’s ‘playbook’could probably fit on a bar napkin — it seems the only actual plays the Cavs run are iso’s for LeBron, pick-and-pops with LeBron and Big Z, and pick-and-rolls with ‘Bron and Varejao. It worked against Detroit, in part because ‘Bron was an absolute animal, but also because the Pistons played terrible defense and Flip Saunders never came up with a way to defend those three plays. Gregg Popovich is smarter than that; he’ll find a way to neutralize Brown’s mini-playbook, so Brown might want to at least come up with some creative things to do with LeBron. We’re not asking for anything too abstract — it just wouldn’t be the worst idea to post LeBron up a couple times or have him work the baseline … anything to mix it up and give the Spurs defense different looks. Ultimately, it will open up more doors for ‘Bron and his teammates.”
So when did Brown start putting LeBron in the post? Game Three. And what happened? After two frustrating games in San Antonio when he was relatively bottled up on the perimeter, LeBron had his best game of the series, dropping 25 points, 8 boards and 7 dimes and scoring easily on Bruce Bowen.
To Mike Brown’s credit, he is a great defensive strategist and, as Jed wrote in his column defending Brown, the Cavs players like playing for him. But the reality is that he’s not a championship-level coach, and this organization’s only goal should be to win a championship while they have a future Hall of Famer at his athletic peak.
Look, I’m normally the type of person to give everyone another second chance. I can forgive the Mike Vicks, Ricky Williamses, Mike Tysons and Dennis Rodmans of the world. But for the Cavs organization, there isn’t time to take too many chances, including the chance that a mediocre coach will somehow become great in a short period of time. This Cleveland roster is a complex one with so many unique flaws and strengths, they need a sharp offensive mind to make everything work, and as we’re seeing right now, Brown’s defensive acumen just isn’t enough by itself to get the job done.
Talented as LeBron is, he needs a great coach to become a truly great player. Look at the standards by which he’s being judged: Jordan had Phil. Kobe had Phil. Magic had Pat Riley. D-Wade has Pat Riley. Larry Bird (who LeBron could eventually supplant as the greatest small forward of all-time) won his rings with Bill Fitch (900-plus career wins) and KC Jones (500-plus wins), who aren’t legends but still very good coaches. LeBron doesn’t have a great coach. He doesn’t even have a very good one. And why waste time now when it’s safe to say Mike Brown will never be on that list of great coaches?
Seem a little hasty? I can see why. On the surface, everything looks to be in good hands. LeBron is just 22 years old, already playing for a ring, under contract for at least the next three years (with a player-option for a fourth), and surrounded by a decent young core in Gibson, Varejao, Gooden and Pavlovic. But if Cleveland’s decision-makers have been watching the same flawed team I’ve been watching on a regular basis, they know this summer is critical in determining the long-term future of the Cavs.
Objective No. 1 obviously is keeping LeBron happy, and his body language during this series tells you he’s not. Maybe he isn’t even directly pissed off at Mike Brown yet (or maybe he is), but once the offseason hits and LeBron has had time to watch the film and reflect, will he go into ‘07-08 with a lot of confidence in his coach? In three years, when LeBron will be 25, fully in his prime, and possibly a free agent, is he going to want to still be the focal point of a one-note offense? Will he want to be seven years into a career with zero championships?
And what about that much-maligned supporting cast? Ilgauskas, slow as he is, remains one of the League’s few legit centers, but he doesn’t have many years left. Hughes is good when healthy, but that’s just the problem; his body is falling apart year-by-year. Cleveland doesn’t have a first-round draft pick this year, so immediate help from a youngster isn’t on the way, and even if the Cavs land a free agent like Chauncey Billups or Vince Carter, neither of those two are on the youthful side of their careers.
In short, the Cavs don’t have time to wait for Mike Brown to become a championship-level coach. They can’t afford to take a step back next year, and anything short of another trip to the Finals will be considered a step back to not only the franchise and the fans, but also to the one who matters most to them right now: LeBron. You cannot assume LeBron will get back to the Finals just because he’s done it once. Hakeem went eight years between Finals appearances. Gary Payton went 10 years between Finals. Iverson got there in his fifth year in the League and hasn’t sniffed a ring since, which could very easily happen to D-Wade as well. (Have you seen Miami’s roster?)
The Cavs need to strike while the iron is hot and the East is weak. There are a few coaches available right now who could improve the Cavs immediately and get them over that hump, from Rick Carlisle to even Larry Brown. For my money, Carlisle would be the top candidate. He’s won everywhere he’s been, and was poised to win a ring with the ‘05 Pacers before Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson ran into the stands at The Palace. Carlisle is demanding and controlling, but he is a deliberate game planner and a definite upgrade over Brown as an offensive coach.
If the Cavs want to win a championship, and more importantly for them, keep LeBron in the fold long-term, they need to unload the person who is most prominently standing in the way of that happening. Blame is a complicated thing, and unfortunately for Mike Brown, the amount of it that will land at his feet should cost him his job.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:38 am
Jon says:
This is the same type of knee-jerk, snap judgments that can ruin a franchise. Unless you know that someone better is waiting in the wings, why get rid of the guy for taking his team to the Finals?
June 14th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Bust Jlaze says:
Word, son…first of all I was so mad that the Pistons couldn’t handle Mike Browns 3 whole plays…drove me nuts…
Also, I gotta say that Bron Bron’s window of opportunity for grabbing a ring could prove to be a VERY SMALL one, considering that even if he’s a perennial East champ, who in the west is he gonna be able to beat in a series? Especially considering that the west is going to probably only get stronger, let alone the fact that the Bulls would probably beat this Cavs team next year. I think his only hope of winning the whole thing would be an East/West power shift…but what are the odds of that happening before he’s past his prime?
June 14th, 2007 at 10:55 am
Mitchell Robinson says:
Inexperience is the problem. Not Mike Brown. No one in the East will compete with the Cavs in the next few years. Allow them to get better and give Mike Brown a chance. Great coaches become great coaches by being given the opportunity to succeed. Before Phil Jackson came to Chicago he wasn’t a great coach. They didn’t get over the hump immediately. It’s just like a job you’re interviewing for requiring 5 years of experience and you’re only two years removed from school. The only way you can get that experience is by going through the situation, which at times includes bumps and bruises. Please allow Mike Brown & the Cavs to go through theirs’.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:56 am
Hyeb Aller says:
Seriously-
This article is judgementive and obscene…you say things like the cavs getting vince carter…you need cap room in the nba and i dont think a sign and trade to cleveland is what the nets are going to do…
2nd you don’t know anything about basketball or coaching…im sure mike brown has only 3 plays…and im sure he doesn’t coach defense, which is the reason he got the job in the first place…
if this is the type of writing in the magazine then it doesn’t have a long life ahead of it
this writing is inappropiate and horrible…good luck to whoever wrote this and thinks they know about basketball and thinks they can write meaningful articles in the future
pathetic
June 14th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Bust Jlaze says:
*random post* AND OH SNAP I JUST WATCHED A CLIP OF SHAUN LIVINGSTON’S KNEE INJURY!! I had no idea…poor guy…can you ever come back from that? I mean, even if you can get the strength back and all that…who would be crazy enough to try a layup again in life?! Dag…I’d be too scared to jump at all, let alone drive through a lane full of cats tryna knock me on my behind…
June 14th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Mitchell Robinson says:
In reference to my comment above that no one in the east will compete… The Bulls are going to be pretty good but no one will be able to stop Lebron.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Austin Burton says:
Brown is a great defensive coach (I mentioned that in the article), but his inability to come up with even the simplest of offensive game plans will doom the Cavs. If they’re content to be an NBA Finals victory lap for whoever wins the West every year, then that’s fine. But if they want to win they need a coach who won’t get so obviously outperformed by the Popovichs and D’Antonis and Sloans of the world.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Bust Jlaze says:
I don’t know, y’all…I mean, the point I think the article is tryna make is, yes…Mike Brown needs time and all that, but DO THE CAVS AND LEBRON HAVE TIME FOR MIKE BROWN TO GET NICE AT COACHING? With Bron being this close to a championship, and as brought out earlier, other teams are VERY QUICKLY catching up to their level and passing their level…can you afford to give Mike some time to grow? This isn’t a team rebuilding, this is a team in position to jump to the next level NOW, with the proper guidance that Brown don’t got right now. Make moves, son…that’s what it’s all about. You got to strike while the iron’s hot, and other cliches like that. Real talk.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:08 am
Tom Toronto says:
Lol did he just drop a Kid ‘n Play metaphor? Nice, nice.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Nopace1 says:
This article sounds like it’s coming from someone who’s about as close to the League as me: sitting on my couch watching NBATV and listening to what the real experts have to say. Do us all a favor and speak with a few people close to the situation (and maybe even quote them!) before just writing an opinionated piece and posting it.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:26 am
Jon says:
Nopace1 - it’s called an “editorial”. Of course it’s opinionated.
June 14th, 2007 at 11:31 am
Bust Jlaze says:
Nopace1…NBATV has the REAL EXPERTS?? Since WHEN?
June 14th, 2007 at 11:58 am
TheJed says:
First off, this is really good Austin. Second, I just disagree that the Cavs don’t have time to see if Brown can be a championship level coach. He obviously needs seasoning and he needs some experience next to him on the bench but as little as 2 years ago, the world wanted Sam Mitchell fired. Now he’s the coach of the year and could hand pick his job around the league. Mike Brown will get better and the Cavs roster will most definitely get better.
June 14th, 2007 at 12:01 pm
TheJed says:
And PS.
If you wanted Austin to write an article based on what other people think, believe me he could have done that, dude’s got more contacts than you have numbers in your cell phone.
June 14th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Austin Burton says:
Good lookin’ out, Jed!
June 14th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
Bust Jlaze says:
hahha…awwww, Jed totally came to Austin’s rescue…that was funny…
I feel what you’re sayin’ Jed, I agree that the Cavs will gradually get better. But the only thing I’m thinking is as the Cavs gradually get better, aren’t OTHER teams doing the same thing? It just seems like the Cavs don’t have the luxury of developing a coach for 2 years like the Raptors did. Unless they wanna stay where they are; that’s Austin’s argument. If they wanna win the next level, then they need a next level coach, right?
June 14th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
weng santos says:
No amount of coaching will save these bunch of Cavs. The team is just flawed. The East is so weak that a middle-of-the-road team like the Cavs can sneak into the Finals, yes, but that East team will almost always be laid-out by a powerhouse from the West like the Spurs.
Not totally Brown’s fault the LeBron has no midrange game and keeps passing up big shots; not the coach’s fault his team can’t shoot in general. How can you blame wide-open ugly bricks on Mike Brown?
He may not be a championship-caliber coach yet, but the Cavs are certainly not a championship team, either.
June 14th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Austin Burton says:
Right. It’s winning time, and Mike Brown only gets you so far.
June 14th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
Rich S says:
This is one of the most poorly written articles I have ever read. When you are not regurtating the same facts we are hearing already at halftime in between these games (see Wilbon, Michael), you’re trying to make a point where there is none. Reading this is like spitting game to a deaf chick, it’s worthless.
June 14th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
Bobby B says:
I agree with Austin on this one. The Cavs need to get rid of Brown right now. The East is pretty wide open right now, and there are probably 6 teams that could win the conference for the next several years; i.e., I don’t see 1 or 2 teams that will be dominant for the next several years. Thus, the Cavs need a great (or even a good) coach to get them over the hump so they CAN be a dominant team in the East for the next several years. You can be certain that other teams in the East will be making strategic moves to take advantage of the parity in their conference. The Cavs can’t sit idle and hope this is the crew that will get the job done.
@ TheJed:
I’m an avid follower of the Raptors, and was happy with the improvements they’ve made. However, Sam Mitchell gets too much credit for the success of the Raptors. Colangelo has done a phenomenal job putting together the Raptors, and he should be getting most of the credit. Mitchell winning Coach of the Year is the harshest joke because now the Raptors are stuck with Sam. Rewind and check his coaching inability in the 1st round versus the Nets. Next year we’ll see if Sam was truly worthy of the Coach of the Year award.
June 14th, 2007 at 1:08 pm
Joe says:
Give Mike Brown a break. He has done an incredible job and deserves a large contract extension. He has taken a mediocre team to the NBA finals by getting them to play tough-as-nails defense, when for the most part the players on the team have never been known as great defenders. In many cases, these guys were actually regarded as terrible defenders before Mike Brown got there (especially Lebron and Pavlovic).
As for the offensive end, he did the best he could with the team he was given. How many plays can he run, without a real point guard on the roster? The team also lacked legit three-point shooters.
What this team is stability. They have improved every year, and this season they got over the tremendous eastern conference hurdle known as the Detroit Pistons. There is no reason they can’t win a title with this coach. Their offense will surely improve next year, as Daniel Gibson improves and gets more playing time.
I know firing a team’s coach is the popular thing to do right now, but firing Mike Brown is going way over the edge. If Brown gets canned, then Pat Riley, Jerry Sloan, Avery Johnson, Mike D’Antoni, and basically every other coach in the league should be fired as well.
June 14th, 2007 at 1:23 pm
satchseven says:
until lebron gets a jump shot.they won,t win jack
June 14th, 2007 at 1:56 pm
Bust Jlaze says:
weng santos just made a good point; you gotta admit the Cavs aren’t necessarily all THAT nice, just because they got to the Finals…picture that first round matchup with the Wizards, running a full squad with Arenas, Jameson, and Caron…maybe the Cavs get beat right there? The Nets were a bit of a cakewalk, and Detroit collapsed AGAIN, so they might not have made it that far if…well, whatever. They did make it this far, I’m not tryna take anything away from that, but it just doesn’t mean that they’re suddenly an elite team. At least not in the true sense of the word.
June 14th, 2007 at 2:40 pm
ChadisRad says:
I agree with satchseven. ‘Bron needs a mid -range game. Once he gets that, they will kick him out of the league.
June 14th, 2007 at 3:04 pm
LEBRON says:
UNDERSTAND THIS MIKE BROWN IS A GOOD DEFENSEIVE COACH BUT THERE IS TWO SIDES OF THE COURT. MIKE BROWN HAS GOTTEN BY ON THE SKILLS OF LBJ. LAST YEAR HIS LACK OF AN OFFENSIVE MIND COST THEN IN THE 2ND RD. AND IT HAS COSTED THEN AGAIN. EITHER YOU HAVE IT OR YOU DONT AND HE DOESNT. THE CAVS HAVE 3 YEARS TO MAKE LBJ HAPPY OR HE IS GONE. SO THE CAVS DONT HAVE TIME FOR MIKE TO FIGURE IT OUT. SCOTT SKILS,LAWRANCE FRANKS,AVERY JOHNSON HAVNT WON A RING BECAUSE THEY PLAYED BETTER TEAMS NOT BECUASE THE NEEDED MORE TIME TO LEARN.
June 14th, 2007 at 3:56 pm
Mike says:
Given what you pointed out about his poor coaching in last years playoff, he has obviously learned from that experience and gotten better. (They’re in the Finals)
Could he also learn from this years Finals experience
and be better prepared next year? Doing things your way
would have gotten Chuck Daley fired before the Piston
won two straight.
June 14th, 2007 at 4:08 pm
Bust Jlaze says:
Mike, man…you gotta keep up dawg…(I’m just a little ashamed that I’ve been on this page ALL DAY)
But Mike, what I (and a couple others, I think) was saying was that the Cavs didn’t really get BETTER this year just becuase they went further in the playoffs…it was kind of the situation that allowed them to make it this far, and now the Spurs are kind of exposing that fact in this series. So sure, you can place your hopes that the Bulls don’t get nicer, and that the Wizards aren’t at full strength, (AND that the Bulls tank their final game of the season) and THEN, if ALL THAT happens, hope that the Cavs don’t face a WESTERN CONFERENCE TEAM IN THE FINALS!! hahah…YES, THEN they might win the whole thing. I’m OUT!
June 14th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Kansas City says:
Let’s get straight to the point. I have never ever ever ever seen the leader of a team who won a NBA championship lack a post up, mid-range and long- range game. I say this to inform you that the difference between the NBA and college is that you need all this to lead a team to the title. LeBron James doesn’t possess any of the latter in his game. For all those people who are followers and or blinded by the hype of the so call “King” watch the game and or tape. Whoever defends him plays off him at least two feet and bascially leaves him wide open when he’s beyond the three point line. This is the reason that he can’t drive to either dunk or lay up the ball. Everyone must face that this is the only way he truly gets his points besides the free throw line. He was 4-16 Game 1, 9-21 Game 2 and 9-23 Game 3 a true NBA fan would say he is having a worst series of any of his teammates. Also, lets think the only reason the so call “King” is get double and tripled teamed is because he is going to the basket on every shot rather than taking the mid-range jumper like the “Great Dr. J” told him to do. However, what Dr. J doesn’t know and Mike Brown knows is that the so call “King” lacks a true NBA game. Why fire Coach Brown when he is doing the best any coach can do with the players that are on the team. Please quote me on this statement! Coach Brown doesn’t have a “Superstar”, however he does have a team. “King James” is a second option, not a Kobe Bryant or Tim Duncan. Why? He perfers to pass and that doesn’t win NBA Championships. Superstars take the big shots and he doesn’t have that and will never have that in his game. You can blame his team and coach as much as you would like, however you must understand that players win championships, coaches get them to the championship. Lastly, I believe your so call “King James” is the greatest hype of all time.
June 14th, 2007 at 5:03 pm
Bust Jlaze says:
Dag…I think Kansas City went a bit too far on that one! Dude is nice, he’s a freak of nature and he has sick basketball instincts…it’s been said many times that he’s sick at seeing plays 2 or 3 steps in advance. If you watch those tapes you’re talking about, then you’ll see what I mean…
BUUUT KC makes a strong point about dude’s “pass first” mentality…that’s gotta change. People are making way too big of a deal about sharing the ball and the whole Kobe thing…what Kobe understands is, share the ball when you have cats that can be trusted to score when they get it. He tried that for a while, and got sick of Kwame and the rest of ‘em bumbling and stumbling most of the time. And Bron is probably getting to the point where he realizes you don’t share the ball to a Varajao and expect him NOT to throw some garbage hook layup thing at the backboard at that stage of the game, you Kobe that joint your DANG self
June 14th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Ahead of my Time says:
I understand what the editorial is saying but I will have to disagree you have to give a coach a chance sometimes and there are not many quality coaches out there Rick Carlisle had a solid foundation in Detroit and in Indiana for years and he never did anything Jeff Van Gundy please thats why he was fired in Houston. keep naming coaches that have had jobs and they haven’t won D’antoni hasn’t even gotten to the finals with the Suns. the Spurs are in this position because they have the players and the coach. If Cleveland gets Bron a true second option such as a Mike Bibby like they were trying to at the deadline they would have a shot so don’t put all the blame on Mike Brown
June 14th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Jason Lancaster says:
My favorite line from the piece:
“as we’re seeing right now, Brown’s defensive acumen just isn’t enough by itself to get the job done”
Mike Brown IS an excellent defensive coach. Arguably one of the best in the league. I challenge anyone to tell me which Cavs player is a “defensive stalwart” (ala Bruce Bowen or Shane Battier).
Hughes is good, but he’s lost a step. Varejao and Pavlovic are energetic, but still young. Ilgauskas is slow. Gooden is solid, but he’s undersized. Snow is an excellent defender, but he’s also in the twilight of his career and he doesn’t get a lot of run. Lebron is too good to play “D”.
Look at the Spurs and their D — Duncan (one of the best EVER), Bowen (also one of the best ever), Ginobli, Finley, Horry, and to a lesser degree Oberto and Vaughn. Clearly, the Spurs defensive roster is better.
Watch the two teams play, and it’s hard to say that the Spurs are THAT much better of a defensive team. Brown has somehow managed to make the Cavs one of the best defensive teams in the league with his average roster. That’s an excellent job.
So what about the offensive side of the ball? Who on the Cavs (aside from Lebron) is a legitimate scoring threat? Ilgauskas? Everyday he plays he seems to get slower. Gooden? No one with his skill set should be in love with their own turn-around fall-away jumper. Hughes? Never met a shot he didn’t like. Gibson? Rookie. Pavlovic? maybe… Add them all together and you end up with one and a half scorers…not enough to get it done regardless of the playbook.
My point is this…Brown has done an awful lot with a limited roster. If the Cavs dump him, it’s going to be hard for them to find a better defensive coach. Instead of firing the coach, how about finding him some offense? Give the Cavs THREE consistent & legitimate options. Then we can truly evaluate Brown’s coaching ability.
June 14th, 2007 at 5:30 pm
Dan'l says:
Those who don’t know Brown’s deserves firing DON’T KNOW THE GAME. No shame in that… but that’s how it pans out. He’s a great D coach with no idea how to coach offense. Can’t scheme, can’t lead and can’t sub a line up.
He and Flip Saunders together would make one very good coach. This team might get older might get more experience might improve personnel. But until they improve the coach it’s moot.
People say the Cavs would be the 6th best team in the West. If they were properly coached they would make ground up on that number.
Brown should be an assistant any success LeRon and the Cavs have is a credit to them because they have an extra hurdle in a coach who coaches O like a JuCo clip board holder.
June 14th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Rob Redondo says:
Everyone’s saying the Cavs need to win now, they need to catch up to the west, it’s a small window of opportunity…blah blah blah. I’m sorry, but have you looked at the rosters on these teams at all?? With the exception of Utah and Dallas in the West and the Bulls and Raptors in the East, all of the currenlty contending teams are old teams!
I’m not saying Duncan is going to retire next year, but they’re closer to the back end of their prime than the beginning don’t you think? As much as I enjoyed watching the Warriors this postseason, I don’t think there’s any chance that happens again, mainly because Baron Davis is typically in street clothes by season’s end (he JUST made it back in time this year). The Jazz will, however, be around for a while as much as I hate to say it (Cleveland fan + Boozer = hatred) and Dallas for sure still has some legs in them.
As for the East, the Bulls clearly are a young and talented team and look like they will only improve (barring any trades, as have been rumored) in the next couple of years. The Raptors are in the same boat, but their current roster definitely has a ceiling that doesn’t come near the Finals. The Pistons will likely still be a solid team, but they are preparing for a roster blowup.
As for the Cavs, we have a 22 year old superstar who would essentially be in his first year in the league had he gone to college. Gibson is 22, Pavlovic is 23, Varejao is 24 and Gooden is 25. That’s a solid, young core that is only going to get better. The rest of the team is easily interchangeable, with possibly the exception of Z, but we would probably be better off with a more athletic center anyway and Varejao will fill that role.
Bottom line is that it is not time to panic because of this year’s Finals. Yes, the offense needs improvement! Yes, there will be stiff competition as teams continue to improve. BUT, we must not forget that as some teams rise, naturally, other teams will begin to fall. With a 22 year old star like LeBron and such a young core to go along with him, we are definitely in that first group, while much of our current competition is in the latter.
June 14th, 2007 at 6:33 pm
Rob Redondo says:
My apologies, I got a bit fired up. As to the point of the article, Mike Brown will improve as a coach as time goes by…as Phil did, as Riley did, and every other coach along the way. He already has our defense playing at a very high level and he just instilled this offense over the offseason, so there is a learning curve. He deserves AT LEAST one more season at the helm before making any rash decisions! Even then, a coaching team to help out on O like Avery Johnson has in Dallas would be a better option then firing him.
June 14th, 2007 at 7:03 pm
Couch Potato Bballer says:
Wow,the author of this editorial and most of those defending them sounds like Barkley and Smith and anyone else pining for the ability of James. Only diff is that those two played in the league, and everyone here is just an armchair analyst with bad critical thinking skills. As a Bulls fan, and knowing that MJ is the greatest baller of all-time, I know he didn’t do it on his own. He had Phil. But Phil wasn’t some offensive genius, either. He has had great assistant coaches. He didn’t invent the Triangle Offense–Tex Winters brought that in. Any editorial or chest puffing here in these poorly written because they’re poorly thought out responses are a waste of your days. Many of those defending this trash act like people can’t improve, get better, learn new tricks. Remind me, how many NBA Championships do Larry Brown, D’Antoni, Carlisle, Van Gundy have among them? How many? One! How many times did L Brown take to win it? What do you mean he couldn’t win it with just AI? But he’s so great.
The reactionary attitude of this opinion-piece and its followers is what’s wrong with TV and education today. The mob/anonymity mentality.
Even if it is just an opinion-piece, real journalists (very few out there today) consider what they write and the effects on an audience, and don’t just spout off “knowledge” deriving from their emotions and need to feel like they’re coming up with brilliance and exciting things to say. Did you even go to journalism school? Did you pass? Was it on-line courses?
June 14th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
Paygan247 says:
Mike Brown deserves all of the criticism he is getting.
EVERYONE in the league was screaming for Boobie Gibson to check Parker, b/c of his size and speed matchup on DEFENSe. It only took until game 3 for Mike Brown to figure that out, which is the only game the Cavs were even competitive in. Yes, the Lebron gets the ball at the top of the key is pretty much a useless offense, but so are most of his teammates.
His mention of Free Agents in this article was stupid, and the whole idea of grabbing a big name is why the Cavs are in terrible salary cap situation-LARRY HUGHES IS NOT A MAX CONTRACT. Either way, the are really just a decent SG who plays defense from having a chance at winning this thing.
Gerald Wallace, would be a better fit. He plays hard D, hits open shots, and has outstanding athleticism necessary to succeed with Lebron’s passing skills.
June 14th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
Anton says:
THEY DON’T HAVE A POINT GUARD.
THEY DON’T HAVE A POINT GUARD.
THEY DON’T HAVE A POINT GUARD.
THEY DON’T HAVE A POINT GUARD.
THEY DON’T HAVE A POINT GUARD.
So ummm my main point is they don’t have a point guard. Gibson isn’t one yet and Eric Snow is OK as long as he’s coming off the bench. They need a point guard. Someone who can create plays. They run the same crappy plays because offensively the team has basically 3 options. 1) LeBron passing to someone wide open off the double team. 2) LeBron trying to score from the drive. 3) Dump it into Z. Honorable mentions to: scrambling for offensive rebounds and getting put backs, Pavlovic driving and Gibson doing something. Hughes has been a no show and signing him was a horrible mistake.
So there you have it, maybe they only run the same plays becuse no one can do anything. This team is FAR from a championship contender. They have young talent that needs to be developed INCLUDING Bron. Kansas is right the guy can’t shoot and I don’t know why everyone calls him the King….Where are his rings and trophies? Being drafted first overall doesn’t count for jack. They NEED more talent. Not sure how they are going to get it.
I don’t think firing Brown is the right thing to do yet. Give him a better team and then see how it develops then can him if needed.
As for Sam Mitchell he should have been canned as soon as Bosh signed the extension. He got outcoached BADLY in the playoffs. It was his first but it took him much too long to figure out that TJ Ford can’t handle Kidd and that Jose did a better job (not saying he’s the greatest defender of all time but Kidd posted up less). He couldn’t get his All-Star and franchise player to rise to the occasion as Bosh averaged a dismal 17 points.
Did the Raptors have a great year? Yes they did - tied for best in franchise history.
Why did they win? Acquiring new talent that was all Brian and Maurizio.
Did Colangelo deserve Exec of the Year? Yes he did.
Did Mitchell deserve Coach of the Year? To some degree.
Were there any other coaches whose team made a dramatic difference from this year to last year? No.
June 14th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Bob says:
Cavs almost won game 3 - held the Spurs to 75 points. NO one in West could do that. If they won, all the national media comments wouldn’t be even close to as negative as they are. A bunch of loud-mouths exorbating clichés. Hubie Brown is the best and when he’s gone we are all screwed.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
UFO says:
I absolutely concur with you! I’m a died in the wool Cavs fan from Northeast Ohio, and let me tell you something, calling Cleveland’s offense and ‘offense’ is a huge stretch. They will never win anything with this coaching staff, and all real Cavs fans can sense this. Mike Brown is a top-quality defensive assistant, but he IS NOT a leader or a head coach.
June 14th, 2007 at 10:07 pm
Ben says:
Yo Austin stop defending your article
how about getting some people from a no name magazine to write about firing you because you got all the way to the championship and then lost the first 3 games
how about firing jerry sloan who was destroyed in the wcf..why not fire phil jackson…theres something to say about what mike brown has done…and coaches win with good players and good players win with good coaches
write an article about who the cavs should hire and why they would be better and start talking like you know something about basketball
also do some read journalism and show us some stats or specific references to coaching and player personel which you might not be able to write about
thanks anyway for trying to talk like you know about basketball and this is why blogs and these websites and magazines etc just give a forum for people to write whatever they want and its rediculous
June 14th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
weng santos says:
Bron is a very, very, VERY, rich man’s Gerald Wallace. I’m not belittling LBJ, not at all, but he’s a do-it-all type of player who, save for dunking, does not have a truly dominating facet to his offensive game. Sometimes he gets hot, yes, but more often than not he bricks most of his shouts outside of 10 feet. It’s a pity how everybody sags off of him when he’s 16 feet from the basket and dares him to shoot. Not saying it can’t be done, because Tony Parker is primarily just a slasher who’s half a foot smaller and 60 pound lighter than LBJ, but he gets to the rim and finishes like no one else.
Once he gets to the rim, LeBron has a chance, but if he gets fouled, well, he’s not a consistent FT shooter either. Athleticism will only take you so far in this league. But then again, everybody says that LeBron is not really a scorer in the Kobe/Melo mold, so there you go.
I guess, LeBron, like KG, is the type of multi-talented dude who will dominate every facte of the game, save for scoring. This is evident in his lack of scoring skills, but more importantly, his lack of a scorer’s mentality. Which is why he passes up big shots.
LeBron, like KG, needs a super-scorer sidekick. Both are franchise guys, but they are not enough by themselves to win big games. But they are the kind of guys ball-hogging, big ego scorers want to play with, because they will take care of everything else.
June 15th, 2007 at 12:51 am
hey now says:
Intersting editorial. I disagree with you and don’t understand why you are throwing MIKE BROWN under the bus so easily. Mike Brown has been at Cleveland for 2 years. This is not an all-star bench he is working with. He’s not Phil Jackson who had Kobe and Shaq (Los Angeles) or Pippen, JOrdan, and Rodman (Chicago). He is not San Antonio who has Duncan,Parker, and Ginobili. Yet despite Parkers shortage in adequate talent he still managed to take the CAV’s to the NBA finals in only 2 years. That is AMAZING. Yes, Brown needs a deeper bench with stronger talent to assist star player LeBron. I say they need to find a point Guard (Lebron can’t be point guard, center, and foward). Another good rebounding center and small foward. You can’t piss on Brown. The best coaches in this leauge had better talent to work with and the franchises gave them more than 2 years to win a title.
June 15th, 2007 at 12:53 am
hey now says:
***despite Brown’s shortage*****
June 15th, 2007 at 7:12 am
TheJed says:
Ben,
Thanks for the blackboard material. Hope you have a better day today.
June 15th, 2007 at 8:53 am
chris brymer says:
lbj cannot win a chip without a co-star at this point in his career, unless both mike brown grows up real fast as an offensive coach, and cleveland gets a really good point guard, ie trade up and draft conley. barring those two things both happening, their best bet for a chip is to get an aging or established power forward who still burns and plays d, ie garnett or oneal or gasol. garnett would be the best fit, and would cost a lot (ie pavlovic and hughes and more), but wouldn’t that be fun to watch!
June 15th, 2007 at 9:28 am
Steve says:
Larry Hughes and a boatload of draft picks for Zach Randolph. The money is close - 15 for Larry and 12 for Zach - and Portland wants to move Randolph with Oden coming in.
More importantly, Portland isn’t hurting for scoring so they can justify this trade on defense (and it’s not like Paul Allen can’t afford to overpay a couple players) and the flexibility of more picks while Cleveland gets, in my opinion, a legit championship core.
June 15th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Austin Burton says:
If you’ve watched the Cavs play at all this year, you don’t need a lot of stats to know that they’re a team of offensively flawed players led by a bad offensive coach. Does that sound like a championship recipe?
The window of opportunity to win a title (or at least be very competitive for one) and keep LeBron in town is small, so why waste time with a coach who isn’t good enough to win a title? Why waste time with players who can’t win? As always, though, the salary cap and other factors make it much easier to unload a coach than to get rid of certain players.
This summer, in addition to replacing Brown, Cleveland needs to do what they can to address the roster’s weak spots, and get guys out of there like DJ and Donyell who no longer bring anything to the table.
June 15th, 2007 at 10:13 am
Mike says:
I agree with upgrading the roster. I don’t agree with replacing the coach. Phil proves that having great talent most coaches can win a championship and havin slum will get you sent packing. Basically, I don’t think any coach could have won against SA with the current roster.
June 15th, 2007 at 10:56 am
Jai says:
Fire Mike Brown? This has to be the most ridiculous argument I have ever heard. He is in his second year as a coach, and has already taken a team that had not been in the playoffs in 6 years to prior to his arrival to the Finals in 2 years. Also in those 2 years he has won 100 games and has one of the best defensive units in the league. The offense is vanilla, but he is a defensive coach and had to change the culture first. While the plays might be simple, they find ways to win and that should be the bottom line. Also consider that the core players of the cavaliers are all young. Lebron is 22, Gibson is 21, Varejao, Pavlovic, and Gooden, are all under the age of 25. When 5 of the top 9 guys in the rotation are young pups you have to give them time to grow. It makes no sense to even consider a guy that 15 guys play hard for. You don’t see the petty infighting that occurs on a lot of teams, and they buy into what he wants. They just felt the pressure and didn’t execute. The Cavs had a ton of wide open jumpers, 3 point shots, and lay ups that simply just didn’t fall against the Spurs. A few plays here and there would have changed the entire dynamic of the series. By the way this is the finals, not the first round of the playoffs. So when does a team from Cleveland actually get some credit? All I hear is the Pistons played poorly, the Nets played poorly and the Wizards were hurt, but no one seems to think the Cavs made them look horrible with executon and great defense.
June 15th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
D Jones says:
Eric Snow has more coaching potential than Mike Brown….and thats REAL TALK!
June 15th, 2007 at 3:01 pm
George says:
Yall- horrible article
but there are also more stupid people on this site commenting like they know something as well
anyone who knows something about basketball would have a job in basketball…not writing for this mag or commenting on this site
thats true…i dont think anyone in the nba cares what yall think and the cavs did make it to the finals…so this team and coach did something right…write an article about firing kevin mchale or somethin austin stop wasting readers time
June 15th, 2007 at 3:16 pm
kcruel says:
Maybe Mike Brown should have had David Wesley suit up with a sportscoat, clipboard and tie instead of his game uni to overcome his offensive coaching deficiencies? Its not like he gave Wesley any clock in the finals.