While Phil Jackson plans to return to his native Montana to meditate among God know what else this offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers are forced to move on. And though his retirement is thought by many to be a brief one, if he does return to coach in the NBA, it won't be with the purple and gold. If Jackson gets bored of fly-fishing after awhile like I would expect him to, all signs are pointing to him coaching the New York Knicks whom he played 11 seasons with, winning two NBA titles. Instead of retiring at the pinnacle of greatness after winning his record 11th ring last season, the Zen Master returned for a shot at a third career three-peat, but was instead treated to his first ever sweep at the helm of the Lakers after being upset by the Dirk Nowitzki-led Dallas Mavericks.
With Jackson no longer part of the equation in Tinsel Town, a new name would emerge and be forced to perform under the bright lights of Staples Center. Such names as Bryan Shaw, Rick Adelman, Mike Dunleavy and Jeff Van Gundy were all potential candidates, but none made the cut. Instead former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Mike Brown who was said to be a long shot, was chosen to be the one who puts an end to the Phil Jackson era. Brown who was a product under Spurs head coach Greg Popovich, was awarded the job of a lifetime and a 4 year, $18.25 Million contract after awing Lakers vice president of personnel Jim Bus with his defense-minded style.
Not only does Brown inherit a star studded line-up, but he also inherits the larger than life expectations that comes equipped when coaching one of the most storied franchises in all of sports. Not to mention he's got some pretty large shoes to fill. Though it wasn't the ideal hiring in my opinion as I was hoping for Shaw or Adelman to land the job, Brown does have some impressive credentials on his track record including a trip to the NBA Finals in 2007 and a 2009 NBA Coach of the Year Award. However, the 2-time MVP LeBron James has a lot to do with that. During his tenure in Cleveland, the LeBron-led Cavs finished back-to-back seasons with the best record in the league under Brown. But it's worth noting that if Brown was a successful mentor with basically one player, it'll be interesting to see what he's capable of with an entire cast of all-star caliber talent.
The biggest shocker though revolving the hire of Brown is that the organization did not consult team captain Kobe Bryant. Days after the Lakers made the signing of their new head coach official, the only discussions between Kobe and Brown have been through text messages. Although Kobe hasn't publicly disapproved of Brown being named the 24th coach in franchise history, it's no secret he was lobbying for his former teammate Brian Shaw to land the gig. With Brown now under control in L.A. and calling the plays for one of the games all-time greats, the relationship between him and Kobe could either be a match made in heaven or it could be a recipe for disaster considering Brown has been known for being somewhat of a pushover in Cleveland as LeBron was often seen as the one calling the shots.
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