Lakers Fire Coach Mike Brown

By Ryan Raigrodski

Just a few days ago, after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Utah Jazz and fell to a 1-4 record, Lakers Executive Vice President Jim Buss came out and defended now former head coach Mike Brown.

"I have no problems with Mike Brown at all," Buss said yesterday to the media. "He just works too hard and he's too knowledgeable for this to be happening.”

And yet one day after publicly defending his head coach, the sports world received a shocker when the Lakers announced the decision to fire head coach Mike Brown.

While the Lakers have not been able to live up to the preseason expectations so far, it seems like a move of panic to fire Mike Brown so early into the season. First of all, Steve Nash has only been able to play one game, injuring his leg, so it is unknown what Brown could have done with the team with Nash in the lineup. Also, Dwight Howard suffered a back injury at the end of last season and is nowhere near 100 percent health wise yet.

Not only are injuries one reason why it is too early to get rid of Brown, but Nash and Howard also are both new to the team. When teams dramatically change the roster the way the Lakers did this offseason, it takes time for the new players to get accustomed to the play of the rest of the team.

As the Miami Heat lifted the NBA trophy last year, people forgot that when LeBron James and Chris Bosh joined the team, the team struggled early. They stuck by their coach through their early struggles and now they have a ring.

Many have speculated that the Lakers decided to make the move because Kobe is unhappy with Brown, and that could very well be the case. When it became a reality that the Lakers would not beat the Jazz on Wednesday, Kobe made what is being referred to by many in the media as a “death stare” which may have reflected his distaste with Brown. If this is why the Lakers made the decision, that goes to show how some players have too much power within their organization, as it should be the general manager or owner’s decision to fire a coach, not a player.

The question now becomes who will become the next Lakers head coach? Assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff will take over on an interim basis as the Lakers search for a permanent replacement for Brown.

Many have speculated that the Lakers could hire Mike D’Antoni, formerly coach of the New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns and an assistant coach on the most recent United States gold medal team. However, he just had surgery on his knee and will not be able to walk for a few more weeks.

The Lakers might make a call to former head coach Phil Jackson, who won five rings with the Lakers and is in a relationship with Jim Buss’s sister Jeanie. He recently retired though, so it is unknown whether he will be willing to come out of retirement and return to the Lakers. If D’Antoni and Jackson do not work out, the name to watch out for is former Portland Trailblazers head coach Nate McMillan. He was quite successful in Portland and may be a fallback plan for the Lakers should they not be able to hire D’Antoni or Jackson.