You may remember last week when Metta World Peace referred to Lakers coach Mike Brown as a ‘fat-ass’ in his exit interview. World Peace was joking, of course, but whenever a comment like that comes out there’s always a brief cause for concern just because you never quite know how people will take those comments.
Mike Brown, however, had no problem with the comments. When told about World Peace’s remarks, Brown laughed them off and dismissed it as nothing more than playful jabbing.
According to Mark Medina of the L.A. Times, Brown wasn’t too concerned with the comments.
“That’s cute,” Brown said with a hearty laugh.
While this is essentially a non-story, it actually goes a little deeper than that. It shows that Brown’s ego is anything but inflated, and that he’s not about to let something small and childish create a bigger problem.
We’ve seen this with Brown before, as he will quickly try to diffuse an escalating situation, even if it comes at his own expense. While there are times this might not be the best approach to take, in many situations it’s a good thing. Brown wasn’t worried about World Peace’s comments, as he knew they were nothing more than playful jabbing between player and coach. World Peace didn’t mean any disrespect, and Brown deserves credit for not taking it the wrong way.
Brown has done a good job of killing drama before it begins, which is one of his underrated skills as a coach. When dealing with all the egos that fill an NBA roster, it can be difficult to find a medium between them and keep things on point. While many feel Brown coddles his stars more than he should, thick skin and level-headed rationale are two very good traits for an NBA coach to have, and Brown possesses both.