Mike Brown Fired: Twitter Reacts to Lakers' Early-Season Dismissal

In what many may view as a panic move by the Los Angeles Lakers front office, head coach Mike Brown was fired Thursday afternoon after a 1-4 start from his star-studded team.

Sam Amick of USA Today broke the news first, followed by Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. 

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"Mike just called saying he was relieved of his duties," agent Warren LeGarie tells Y! Sports about the ex-Lakers coach.

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) November 9, 2012"

Twitter exploded with the untimely news, as the biggest names in the sports media world voiced their opinions on the move that very few saw coming so early on in the season.

With former Lakers coach Phil Jackson leaving the franchise on good terms, many expect his name to be atop the list as a potential replacement. A source close to Jackson told Yahoo!'s Spears some notable information on the 11-time NBA champion's interest. 

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Source close to PJax said:"Its a good situation for him.But his heart has to be in it.Thats a discussion he has to have with himself...cont.

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) November 9, 2012"

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Source close to PJax cont: "They kicked him to the curb. Now they are in the same position. Maybe worse."

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) November 9, 2012"

Yahoo! Sports reporter Adrian Wojnarowski wasted no time finding out who a big name in the Lakers' replacement search might be. However, he also confirmed that a knee surgery will keep D'Antoni out of contention until at least December.

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As Lakers ownership has been considering firing of Brown, Mike D'Antoni has been a prominent name discussed as replacement, sources tell Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) November 9, 2012"

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Knee replacement surgery expected to keep Mike D'Antoni unable to coach until late December, league source tells Y! Sports.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) November 9, 2012"

Another name thrown into the hat has been 70-year-old Jerry Sloan, who told Utah Jazz radio analyst David Locke that he has nothing to say about the position.

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I just spoke with Jerry Sloan he has no comment on the situation with the Lakers

— David Locke (@Lockedonsports) November 9, 2012"

Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star said former Lakers assistant Brian Shaw chuckled at the prospect of becoming L.A.'s next head coach, and understandably so.

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It's understandable that Brian Shaw just laughed when I mentioned the Lakers job to him at shootaround. Things ended ugly in LA for him.

— Mike Wells (@MikeWellsNBA) November 9, 2012"

Bleacher Report's NFL Lead Writer Michael Schottey poked fun at the Lakers' lone win this season, which came against the hapless Detroit Pistons.

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Mike Brown fired when the Lakers revealed his plans for success involved playing the Pistons 40 more times this season.

— Michael Schottey (@Schottey) November 9, 2012"

Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel saw some foreshadowing in the iconic "death stare" given by Kobe Bryant just days before Brown was canned.

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Apparently the Kobe death stare is the last step before getting fired. Mike Brown, we hardly knew ye.

— Tom (@Haudricourt) November 9, 2012"

Mike Freeman of CBS Sports had a much more clear analysis of the Lakers' decision to fire their head coach, who was just beginning his second year on the job.

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Mike Brown fired. Total panic move. Idiotic.

— mike freeman (@realfreemancbs) November 9, 2012"

Former Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy, who was in a similar situation just months ago, had some harsh words on the situation for Brian K. Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.

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Former Magic coach Stan Van Gundy called the Lakers' firing of Mike Brown, "the most ridiculous firing in the history of the NBA."

— Brian K. Schmitz (@MagicInsider) November 9, 2012"

Bleacher Report Pop Culture Lead Writer Gabe Zaldivar put in his two cents, noting that something reeks in the Lakers' front office.

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This smells of Phil Jackson's doing.

— Gabe Zaldivar(@gabezal) November 9, 2012"

Some early names thrown in the hat by sports fans include Jerry Sloan and Phil Jackson, but popular sports blog Got 'Em Coach outlined some key issues if either coach were to land the job.

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Players today don't want to play for Jerry Sloan. He yells. A lot. Phil is not an option. Triangle takes time, and Nash wouldn't fit system.

— Got 'Em Coach (@GotEm_Coach) November 9, 2012"

One of the biggest names in Lakers history chimed in on the news, as basketball legend Magic Johnson took to Twitter to voice his support for the fired coach while remaining supportive of the franchise.

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Feel bad for Coach Mike Brown, who's a great guy, but don't think he was the right guy for the job in the first place.

— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) November 9, 2012"

Slam Magazine blogger Farmer Jones outlines that managing a plethora of large egos could've been Brown's biggest challenge that inevitably led to his downfall.

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THE biggest challenge w/ this job is managing Kobe's ego, then all the other egos under him. Other than Phil, Kobe only one I see doing it.

— Farmer Jones (@thefarmerjones) November 9, 2012"

CBS Sports blogger Matt Moore, proprietor of basketball blog Hardwood Paroxysm, thinks that Brown's job was over before it even started.

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Feel bad for Brown. Said last year there was no way to survive this. No one survives coming in after a legend.

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) November 9, 2012"

Moore pointed out another interesting dynamic: Could Dwight Howard's best overall talent be getting his head coaches fired?

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Seriously, Dwight's coach firing efficiency is THROUGH THE ROOF.

— Hardwood Paroxysm (@HPbasketball) November 9, 2012"

Obviously, the sports world is displaying some mixed feelings overall on the Lakers' early decision to fire Mike Brown. Stay tuned to Bleacher Report's front page for the latest on this evolving saga.

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