Fansided

Mike Brown frontrunner for Cleveland Cavaliers coaching job

By Joshua Santos

November 7, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown during a game against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz defeated the Lakers 95-86. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
November 7, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown during a game against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz defeated the Lakers 95-86. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 18, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; (Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports)
May 18, 2012; Los Angeles, CA, USA; (Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports) /

Well isn’t this ironic. Former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach, Byron Scott was reportedly fired after only winning 24 games with the team, after coaching the team for three years. Since than, the Cavaliers have been looking for a replacement, with former Los Angeles Lakers coach, Mike Brown, leading the way.

According to The Cleveland Plain Dealer, two NBA insiders have said that Brown quickly became the front runner.

"Former Cavaliers coach Mike Brown has emerged as the leading contender to replace the fired Byron Scott, two longtime NBA insiders told The Plain Dealer on Friday, and the team may move quickly to hire him.Neither Brown nor Cavs General Manager Chris Grant could be reached for comment. Calls to Brown’s agent, Warren LeGarie, were not returned on Friday.Brown, fired by the Lakers five games into this season, told The Plain Dealer on Thursday night that he had not yet been contacted by the team but would listen if they called. He and his family had decided to return to the Cleveland area before the Cavaliers job became available.Though the team wants to be thorough in its search, timing could be an issue as Scott’s firing on Thursday was the first of many expected in the league. [….]Brown told The Plain Dealer he was in no rush to return to coaching. The Lakers still owe him about $8 million."

The Cavaliers wanting Mike Brown, to me at least, is hilarious. After spending five seasons in Cleveland, Brown was unable to keep Lebron James satisfied in Cleveland any longer, which lead to James heading to South Beach and Brown ultimately fired. Now with the Cavaliers losing even more, it seems like they’re begging for Brown to come back.

I don’t blame them though. General Manager Chris Grant said the team is looking for a specialist on the defensive end.

"“Moving forward we’ll look for someone with proven success and look for somebody who is strong defensively with proven systems,” Grant said. “We’ll look for somebody who is a teacher. We’ll look for somebody who is a grinder and a worker.”"

If anybody knows defense and knows the Cavaliers system well, it’s Brown. When Brown coached the Cavaliers back in the 2005-2006 season, the Cavs were ranked 20th in the NBA in efficiency. As well, in his final two years, during the 2008-2009 season, Brown produced a efficiency that ranked second best in the league, with a rating of 99.4 points per 100 possessions.

Although James at the core had to do a lot with those numbers but Brown’s strong emphasis on defense and principles could be what this Cavaliers team needs and especially help superstar sensation, Kyrie Irving, who is lacking on the defensive end, by a long shot.

If the Cavaliers do get Brown, it will definitely be a huge uplifting improvement on defence over Scott’s. When Scott was coaching the Cavaliers, the team was looking extremely sloppy on defense, simply looking disorganized.

Ultimately, Brown back as head coach of the Cavaliers can only bring better results than that of Byron Scott. He may be what the Cavaliers need.

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