Kobe Bryant vs. Mike Brown: Why Mike Brown Will Be the Last Lakers' Man Standing

As an avid sports viewer, you have to respect what Mike Brown was able to do in Cleveland. Even though he had the luxury of having one of the greatest players in the league on his squad, Brown assisted in turning a franchise around.

Two years after LeBron James was drafted to the Cleveland Cavaliers as the No. 1 overall pick, Mike Brown was named the 17th coach in Cavaliers’ history. In the LeBron era, the Cleveland basketball franchise went through two coaches and the firing of a general manager, interim coaches not included. Mike Brown was let go just months before James’ huge “Decision” debacle on ESPN, where he announced his 2010-2011 season destination.

In what was more than likely a ploy to keep James with the organization, the Cavaliers lost a pretty good coach in Mike Brown. He was able to halt the foul direction of the team and produced the best winning percentage of any coach in the team’s history.

He was to the staff what LeBron was to the squad, but Dan Gilbert and company were too blindsided by the achievements and potential of James to consider life after him.

Now a move made to pacify their sole superstar, led them down a path of obscurity on both sides of clipboard. Not to say that Byron Scott is not an excellent leader, but Brown’s system had not been broken. Their attempts to fix it have fallen far short of admirable.

But, all of that is in the past now. Mike Brown and his $4 million - $4.5 million per season contract have headed to Hollywood as he takes on the challenge of restoring the youth in Kobe’s legs again. Not that it has not happened before, because there have been multiple times where I thought that his moment in the spotlight was dwindling. Can Brown master the personalities that he faces in LA?

That has yet to be seen. Looking back to his time in Cleveland, he only had one huge ego to maintain. Other than LeBron, there were not many other players that would contend against anything he had to say or suggest. In the Lakers lockerroom, it will be more than a notion to step in and pick up where Phil Jackson left off.

With all of that said, the biggest worry of all with the Mike Brown hiring, is that he will not be able to remain a stable figure in the franchise with Kobe Bryant still such a centerpiece. Not to say that they would not get along, but the events leading up to his hiring put a question mark next to their early relationship.

Kobe Bryant coming forth about the hiring of assistant coach Brian Shaw, though it was supposed to force the hand of the organization, fell on deaf ears. This speaks volumes about how much Kobe’s voice still means to the Lakers and their future moving forward. Bringing on Mike Brown is an attempt to prepare for the future, post-Kobe that is.

Questions are swirling concerning his personality, but a landmark such as the Lakers reeling from the end of a legacy like Phil Jackson’s would not make a move unless it was extraordinarily well calculated.

Therefore, as fans, we must stand back and look at the entire picture instead of dwelling in the past of Black Mamba’s successes. As much as it pains me to say, Mike Brown will still be Los Angeles’ coach after Kobe Bryant is long gone. In fact, I believe that the entire team will be remodeled over the next couple of years. There will be plays called that will utilize Bryant differently.

There will be fresh faces in purple and gold jerseys. There will be a new aura around the team that did not exist during the reigning days of Kobe, Shaq, Derek and Phil. Attempting to create more championship runs will force the Lakers to reshape the vision of the franchise. That includes tossing out the old and bringing in the new.

However, Kobe Bryant will not be the only player that does not endure the entire tenure of Mike Brown.

Derek Fisher and Ron Artest will be shipping out soon enough. Not solely due to the efforts of Mike Brown, but because it seems as if Fisher is on a steep slope to miscellaneous mentions and Gasol looks to no longer function adequately with the men of LA any longer.

Without giving much thought to the rumors that swirled about his personal life, it does not look as if Lakers’ front office men will give him more than a season to redeem himself.

Kobe Bryant has done some amazing things for the Los Angeles Lakers. He has five rings and many other personal accomplishments to add to the long list of those already achieved by retired Lakers’ players. It is just that Coach Brown will be in the right place at the right time.