But is Mike Brown the right guy for the job of head coaching the league's preeminent franchise? His biggest test will come this season with a team that, on paper, is as strong as any in the game. In Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant, Brown has the luxury of coaching four of the game's all-time greats and certain Hall of Famers.
In other words, it's put up or shut up time for Mike Brown.
Lakers fans do not coddle their coaches—they expect only the best and are quick to point fingers if expectations are not met.
Right or wrong, it is Brown's job and responsibility to have his players in a position to win every night and to go deep into the playoffs each and every year.
To say that Brown has been a failure would not be fair, given that he has coached the Lakers for less than one full season and inherited a Phil Jackson-led club that had been pummeled by Dallas in the second round of the 2011 playoffs.
Brown took over and, while the strike languished, watched as management tried to trade away Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. He ultimately lost both Derek Fisher and Odom, the latter having demanded a trade because he felt hurt by the team's decision to move him in the failed Chris Paul deal to New Orleans.
Still, there was plenty of talent remaining on the Lakers for the team to make a run at a title. Brown must bear some of the responsibility for not having the team perform up to expectations.
Possibly the biggest issue with Brown's coaching is a perceived lack of a cohesive offense. Brown has always been known more for his defensive abilities.
The main reason the Cavaliers were successful du...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
