Coming into this shortened NBA season, new Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown had arguably one of the toughest coaching challenges ahead of him. Even though Brown inherited a team filled with All-Star caliber talent like Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, the fact was the former Cleveland Cavaliers coach had to take over for arguably the greatest head coach in NBA history in Phil Jackson.
Taking over for the Zen Master was a daunting task to say the least, but Mike Brown was up for the challenge of filling his shoes and coaching Kobe Bryant. It would be hard to argue that Brown hasn’t done a better job than expected at this point with the Lakers sitting in fifth place in the Western Conference with a record of 23-16.
Unfortunately, despite being able to turn the Lakers into a force on the defensive end of the floor, Brown has struggled with his offensive game plan in the post Triangle offense era in Los Angeles. Not only has Brown failed to create an offensive scheme that works consistently, but some of the veterans are starting to doubt the head coach’s play calling.
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, the Lakers might want to revert back to the efficient Triangle offense run under Phil Jackson to get this team back to form offensively:
“The players want to unify,” one source with knowledge of the situation said. “They know how to win, and they want to fix this. I don’t know if they can, though. “
After two losses in a row to arguably two of the worst teams in the league in the Detroit Pistons (88-85 OT) and Washington Wizards (106-101) in consecutive nights, some drastic changes may be on the way for the Los Angeles Lakers. With the NBA trade deadline just a week away on March 15, a deal might be more likely with the team’s recent struggles.
The Lakers did play well right out of the All-Star break with three straight wins, including an impressive victory over the Miami Heat (93-83) at the Staples Center, but their struggles on the road continue with an ugly record of 6-14 away from Los Angeles.
Needless to say, a change needs to be made in order for this team to get back to form on the road and playing consistently well on the offensive end of the basketball floor. If not, Mike Brown could fall out of favor with his players and the Lakers might begin to plummet in the Western Conference standings.