Standing at a podium in a makeshift pressroom located on the side of the Lakers practice court, Brown appeared confident and excited during his first interview as the official head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. Having signed his three year, 12 million dollar contract just moments before addressing the media, Brown may not have indefinitely answered everyone’s burning questions about the Lakers’ future, but he sure said all of the right things.
After taking a year off from the game following a successful five year stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Brown returns to the game with big shoes to fill in the eyes of the fans, the media and whether they admit it or not, the Lakers players.
There’s no question that replacing a man who won 11 titles in 20 years as a head coach, including five with the Lakers franchise, is a beyond arduous task. But doing it in Los Angeles, under the biggest magnifying glass of a media in the world is a completely different story.
People need to understand that just like the Lakers lost games with Phil Jackson at the helm, they are going to lose games with Brown running the show as well. Winning and losing is an inevitable aspect of sports, and although it may tough to understand when your favorite team is known for winning championships, bumps and bruises are going to come along the way.
“In terms of replacing a legend in Phil – I’m not him,” said Brown in his introductory press conference. “I’m not going to be able to be him. I have to be who I am. I am confident, secure and happy with that. I think we’re going to be fine. ”
“I don’t know coach Jackson on a personal [level], so I can’t really say what’s the difference between us,” Brown said earlier in the conference. “I know he’s older than me and that he’s made more money than me. Other than those two things, I’m not sure. One of the things I’m looking forward to is working with this special group of core players. One goal that he and I have in common is that we want to win. Not just 50 or 60 games, but we want to win it all.”
With that being said, and the Lakers’ championship-winning core still in-tact, it’s going to fall on the Lakers players’ shoulders to buy into Brown’s system and teachings if they want to bounce back from an embarrassing finals loss and return to basketball glory.
And considering the Lakers struggles weren’t specific to one area, it is unquestionably time for a change of direction, mentality and hunger in the City of Angels; and bringing in Brown does exactly that for this team. He’s going to hold this team accountable for everything they do, and while that may push the Lakers into uncharted territories, it’s going to make them a better team.
“I gotta preach [my system], I gotta talk it and I gotta teach it,” said Brown. If they don’t buy in right away, they will. If they don’t, there’s going to be a problem, because I’m going to hold everyone accountable.”
Next: Offense & Defense
Defensively, Brown was one of the best options available. Mentally, the Lakers have been a very weak defensive team in recent years. They play it when they want to –- which unfortunately, for the sake of their three-peat chances, was only when they absolutely had to, and it subsequently hurt them.
“You have to play defense,” said Brown. “The last 15 NBA champions finished in the top 12 or better in the NBA defensively. 14 of those 15 finished in the top eight. The two right now, are going to keep that trend alive. That’s something that we’ll preach from day one, is that end of the floor.”
However, as Brown comes in, the triangle offense appears to be on its way out.
“We’re not going to run the triangle offense, but we will have bits and pieces of it that we run. … “A lot of what I’m going to take offensively will stem from the time I spent in San Antonio. I was in San Antonio for three years; we won a title in 2003. We had two skilled seven-footers in Tim Duncan who is currently there, and David Robinson.”
The idea of using Gasol and Bynum in a similar fashion that the Spurs used Duncan and Robinson for two championship runs in San Antonio is enticing. While the Lakers’ offense has been heavily influenced by their two big men, it has never relied so heavily on it before. And although this might strike worry into some fans who believe that the offense should be Kobe, Kobe, Kobe — it’s what is for the best of this team, and for Kobe.
If Brown can successfully utilize Gasol and Bynum in ways similar to the Spurs’ usage of Duncan and Robinson, it is going to work. They are two, very skilled and capable seven-footers who, when working together at a high level, create the best front court in basketball.
Aside from being a confident diplomat, Brown is an optimist. Despite the Lakers massive struggles in 2010-11, and their embarrassing exit from the playoffs, Brown doesn’t see anything that is incapable of being fixed.
“Everything is correctable. If you have the determination and will, everything is correctable in life,” said Brown.
From what he has gathered with talking to some of the Lakers roster, he acknowledged that their earliest start to summer since 2007 has positively influenced this team, and that they are hungry because of it.
“Hopefully when we start training camp, I have 15 angry men I have to deal with,” he said of the team’s determination heading into next season.
He may not know what size shoe his predecessor, Phil Jackson, wears; nor should he be expected to fill the proverbial shoes left before him by the Zen Master. But one thing is for sure, Mike Brown is going to be Mike Brown and just as he is, I am confident that if he does that — the Lakers will be in good hands.
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