Mike Brown Fired By Lakers, But Was the 1-4 Start His Fault?

October 25, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown during the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Valley View Casino Center. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-US PRESSWIRE

Well, Mike Brown is now looking for a new job after being fired earlier today. I can’t say I’m surprised, in fact, I’m more shocked that Brown even started the season as head coach of the Lakers. In the position the organization was in, this was the only move that could have been made. But is the poor start to 2012-2013 season all of his fault? Honestly, how can a coach with Dwight Howard, Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Paul Gasol mess up on coaching arguably the best starting lineup in the NBA on paper?

Looking at the Lakers lineup from afar, this team may be all flash and no substance. Really, a bench consisting of Antawn Jamison, Chris Duhon, Jodie Meeks, and Steve Blake will most likely not produce great numbers. Maybe five or six years ago they would have, but not now. Outside of their bench, the Lakers have two super-stars in Kobe Bryant, who I still am not convinced is willing to share the court let alone the ball with Dwight Howard, and Howard, who is still in his prime but not ready to set aside individual goals. Also, Kobe and Howard have carried most of the load so far, and when you don’t get great production from your bench, it’s hard to win games.

To say Mike Brown can’t lead this team is an accurate statement, but he’s not a bad coach. He coached the Cleveland Cavaliers, who made it to the NBA Finals in 2007. Because he didn’t help LeBron James get a ring, he’s somehow earned the reputation of being a bad coach. No, he’s a good coach, and being surrounded by egos and a great player who in his own right is the closest to Michael Jordan, Brown was put into a tight spot.

But now since that’s water under the bridge, who will be the Lakers next coach? I’d be stunned if Phil Jackson didn’t return. He’s capable of coaching multiple all-stars at once, and he’s undoubtably one of the best NBA coaches in NBA history. Jerry Sloan is also looking for a job, and he’s probably the best alternative if Jackson doesn’t want to return to coaching.

No matter who the Lakers hire next, there are a lot of problems with this team that need to be fixed. A team with Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant shouldn’t be 1-4 in the first five games, and it’s possible that the bad start to this season for LA goes beyond Mike Brown. As I stated above, the bench is weak and without points coming from your role players, expect to have difficulty in winning basketball games.

Needless to say, the beginning of this year for the Lakers is definitely not what a majority of fans, both in LA and abroad, expected. As I see it right now, Phil Jackson is the only one who can save the day. Is it possible that Andrew Bynum was better for Kobe than Dwight Howard is? Maybe following the Miami Heat blue print wasn’t the way to go to win the Western Conference.