NASH-ING TEETH: The rocky relationship between the Lakers’ loaded roster and head coach Mike Brown led to his dismissal yesterday. Photo courtesy Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
The beauty of Los Angeles is that it will always be, first and foremost, a Lakers town. Especially now. The Kings came out of nowhere to nab the Stanley Cup and have since been rewarded with a labor stoppage. The Dodgers had a nice surprising season, but even a hot start couldn’t get them into a postseason with two more berths. And football? Ha, don’t get me started.
But the one thing Los Angeles might love more than it’s beloved Lakers is drama, which has made these first six games to start L.A.’s NBA season something of a made-to-order storyline. A team full of superstars. A coach overwhelmed. And now, a change of direction midstream.
Granted, Mike Brown’s firing has come so early into the season, 2012 will probably ultimately be hung on his successor. Of course, this more than likely was the point of firing Brown now. But a coach change isn’t going to be some sort of panacea for the Lakers’ woes.
It looks like Brown was a wrench in the gears, but he wasn’t the only one. If you want to axe the head coach because the team isn’t gelling, that’s fine, but it’s not like this was a team united against their overseer.
Jeff Gross/Getty Images
The roster itself has virtually no chemistry. The major additions of Steve Nash and Dwight Howard made sure of that. And, if you want to point fingers, these superstars measuring each other up has played as much of a role in the Lakers’ slow start as anything else.
What’s my point? My point is don’t expect the Lakers to just cruise from here on out. Miami last season is the perfect example. When you make such large, sudden changes, it’s going to take time for the ripples of those transactions to smooth out.
Basketball is a game played on hardwood, not on paper. When you amass such a large conglomerate of type-A personalities used to getting what they want, there are going repercussions. Unfortunately, in today’s instant-reaction, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world, repercussions usually means heads rolling.
We’ve seen it before. Heck, we’ve seen it THIS year. The Washington Capitals believed they had put together a championship-caliber roster, but didn’t have a coach that could manage the egos. And the solution was the same then as it is now: why waste this season when we can make a change now.
It’s not the best move. The Lakers’ front office will be the first to tell you that. But, then again, keeping Mike Brown around wasn’t the best move, either. Now, as to which one is BETTER, we’re about to find out.
The reports out of the city of angels is that either Phil Jackson or Mike D’Antoni. What, Dwight Howard wasn’t pushing Jerry Buss to hire Stan Van Gundy? I’m shocked.
D’Antoni would be a good hire, but Jackson is the right move here. Not only is he the proven winner in Los Angeles, no matter how Buss feels about him, but he excels in the areas that are causing problems for Los Angeles.
Phil Jackson is a maestro and managing stars with inflated self-images. Give him one basketball and five guys who want it, and, as if it were magic, he’ll produce five starters who are generally happy.
The Lakers have all the talent they need to win the Finals this year. All they need now is a coach who won’t get in the way and keep the team on-mission. Not to demean the work Jackson does, but that is essentially how he got his rings.
So while the Mike Brown regime suffered a Hollywood ending, it’s clear the Lakers made the move that they did WHEN they did to ensure the credits hadn’t rolled on 2012 just five games into the season. The best news here is the NBA playoffs, where every half-decent team gets an invite. If the Lakers can get everything figured out by the Spring, all they need is a shot.
If they get that, it should be more than enough for Phil Jackson or Mike D’Antoni or whoever is about to become the next head coach of the Lakers to put together a run for the NBA Finals.
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NOTE: This story was originally posted on SportsHead. To read this article and others click here.
When Bryan isn’t writing, he is on Twitter! Make sure you give him a follow @bclienesch for NBA updates and other shenanigans!
