LA Lakers Coach Mike Brown: 7 Ways Jim Buss Screwed Up the Hiring Process
With Phil Jackson gone and Kobe Bryant entering the twilight of his career, the Los Angeles Lakers are charging head on into a new era under Mike Brown.
News of the former Cleveland Cavaliers coach's hiring struck many as a surprise, both in the haste with which it happened and with the list of other candidates—Rick Adelman and Brian Shaw chief among them—who seemingly were never given a fair shake during the hiring process.
That, and other pitfalls of the Lakers' hiring process, may be attributed, at least in part, to Lakers president and team-owner-in-waiting Jim Buss. The son of current owner Jerry Buss, Jim has seemingly taken his role as the team's all-powerful decision-maker by the horns, for better or worse.
So why is it, exactly, that fans and pundits are crying foul about Jim Buss' hiring of Mike Brown?
Failing to Consult Kobe Bryant
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Buss' first mistake in the hiring process occurred before it ever began, and that was in not even asking Kobe Bryant for any input.
The decision to leave Kobe out certainly makes sense , with a coach like Brown at the helm, the last thing the Lakers need is another situation where the inmates are running the assignment (see: LeBron James in Cleveland).
However, when Kobe is as important to the franchise as any single individual since Jerry West, he deserves to at least toss his two cents into the discussion, seeing as how he's won five rings and may go down as the greatest Laker of all time.
And, by the way, he's still the unquestioned leader of the team and will be until he's somehow forced to retire.
Oh, and furthermore, Buss himself admitted that he "should have contacted Kobe."
Not Asking His Sister or Her Hubby
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Now, if Jim wasn't going to ask his star player for his thoughts, the least he could have done was consult his own sister...and her boyfriend.
I am, of course, referring to Jeanie Buss, the team's executive vice president, and Phil Jackson, the former coach who guided the Lakers to five championships during his 11 seasons as the head man in LaLa Land.
According to famed sportswriter Roland Lazenby, Phil and Jeanie have privately expressed to people in their inner circle dissatisfaction over the way the hiring went down more so than over who ended up being hired.
And when Jeanie, the true brain trust in the organization, is not pleased by something, then everyone should take notice, and quickly.
Overlooking Brian Shaw and Chuck Person
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Staying within the organization, Jim Buss would have done well to have given greater consideration to assistant coaches Brian Shaw and Chuck Person.
Now, the Lakers did grant Shaw a full interview in the end, though there was a sense about the proceedings that suggested he was never a serious candidate for the job in the first place. In the end, it was probably best that Buss decided against hiring Shaw, who was a solid player for the franchise but has no prior head coaching experience whatsover.
Because, frankly, could anyone so wet behind the ears in the coaching ranks realistically handle the pressure that comes with being the leader of the most storied franchise in the NBA?
But, still, Lakers management owed a company guy like Shaw a greater measure of dignity and respect in the hiring process.
Same goes for Chuck Person, though, again, Person, like Shaw, didn't really have a realistic shot at landing the job.
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Moving Too Quickly
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The lack of respect shown to Shaw and Person was only part of a bigger mistake overall made by Jim Buss—rushing to hire a new coach.
If there's any team in the league that deserves a slow, deliberate and thorough hiring process as part of its coaching search, it's the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that has had some of the greatest coaches in the game—chiefly, Phil Jackson, Pat Riley and Bill Sharman—should take its time finding the right man to carry the torch, just as he is trying to be for his father.
Not Offering the Job to Rick Adelman
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Of course, the Lakers could've moved even quicker and ended up with arguably a better coach in the person of Rick Adelman.
Outside of his short stint with Golden State, Adelman has done a tremendous job wherever he's been. Most will remember that Adelman would have had a ring if it hadn't been for those meddling Lakers in the Western Conference Finals back in 2002.
For the Lakers to not give more consideration to a coach who is a proven success in the NBA and is someone with whom LA is very familiar is disappointing, to say the least.
Not Even Inquiring About Byron Scott
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It's one thing to not offer the job to a guy who has tormented the Lakers; it's another thing entirely to not even interview a guy like Byron Scott, who has long been held up by fans and friends in the organization as the man follow in Phil Jackson's footsteps.
There is some question as to whether Scott is actually a good coach, as he has been known to grind on his players and allow his voice to get scale without fail.
However, there's one thing no one can doubt about Scott: he's been to the NBA Finals twice and he knows what it means to be a Laker.
And, please, to think that Scott actually would have turned a chance to coach the Lakers is patently misguided; few coaches in the league have been more conspicuous about their desire to coach a particular team than Scott...ever.
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