The Browns and the First Round: Star Lotulelei
April 23, 2013Chance Warmack, E.J. Manuel and Darius Slay headline Mel Kiper’s “A” draft for Browns
April 23, 2013The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly set to announce the hiring of Mike Brown as the team’s head coach. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon-Journal reports that the addition of Brown will take place Wednesday, ensuring that the decision to re-hire him encompassed fewer days than the decision to fire him three seasons ago.
Mike Brown has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Byron Scott as #Cavs coach. Deal expected to be announced tomorrow
— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) April 23, 2013
#Cavs and Mike Brown have reached handshake agreement on deal, league source tells Akron Beacon Journal. Official announcement expected tmrw
— Jason Lloyd (@ByJasonLloyd) April 23, 2013
When addressing what the team’s next coach would bring to Cleveland, Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant cited a defensive focus coupled with the ability to develop young talent. “We’re looking for someone with proven success, looking for someone who has a strong defensive system, someone who is a teacher, grinder and a worker,” he stated.
Brown, who had decided to move back to Cleveland prior to the Cavaliers’ coaching vacancy, recently met with the team’s majority owner Dan Gilbert over dinnerâthe sit-down reportedly went very well. Though the team had reached out to Phil Jackson, but the long-time Laker coach reportedly did not have interest in the Cavaliers’ situation.
Brown was fired by owner Dan Gilbert after back-to-back 60-win seasons following the 2009-10 season. Despite the ousting, sources recently told ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst that there were no grudges held by either side that would prevent a dialogue about a fresh start. Brown was highly coveted by other teams in the league, forcing the Cavaliers to move quickly in their decision.
The deal is reportedly going to be for five years and $20 million.
79 Comments
I think that as a general practice, cronyism is a bad thing. The results won’t necessarily indicate that though. I’m refraining from making a comment on the Mike Brown hiring because I do honestly forget a lot about that era already. I remember that yes the players not named LeBron James were massively disappointing at times (read: often), and that seemed like the biggest reason for the Cavs never getting a championship with LBJ. I also remember so many complaints from so many people whose opinions I respect about Mike Brown’s many rotations and in-game adjustments (or lack thereof). I just don’t remember it well enough to say that this is an abject failure of a hire, but my gut isn’t thrilled with the hire. I think the Cavs will be better, but I want a championship, and my gut says that with Mike Brown, the ceiling is somewhere beneath that level.
Of course and it speaks to what i said about Gilbert being held accountable just a few days.
Terrible way to run a franchise if you ask me. I’d be curious to know what/how Ferry feels about Brown’s rehire.
I remember it being reported that Ferry’s decision not to re-sign had to do with Gilbert not agreeing to Ferry having complete authority over personnel. But because Ferry ended up going back to SA as an assistant, maybe Ferry couldn’t stomach being the GM for a team willing to fire a coach it actually would have preferred to keep in a vain attempt to mollify the spoiled superstar. Ferry’s dad was in the biz and he’s kind of hard-ass, old school at heart.
On one hand, he’s probably happy that Brown is getting another shot in Cleveland. On the other hand, he’s probably a bit steamed that he won’t have a chance to pull Brown to Atlanta.
I honestly do think he comes in with John Kuester if I had to guess. Kuester supposedly did so well as offensive asst coach w/ the Cavs that the Pistons decided that they needed to hire him as head coach (lol @ Pistons)
I like the move. I wasn’t thrilled about firing Scott, but that’s spilled milk at this point. Brown was a solid coach here, and his career winning percentage is like tenth all time. Yeah, I know he had Lebron, but there is no coach anywhere near that record who didn’t have multiple star players. To me the biggest problem was never figuring out a way for someone other than Lebron to carry the load, mainly in running the offense. Now, he doesn’t have anyone who will dominate the game that way. Lebron was never able to leave the point guard position under Brown – but the best player now is an actual point guard so it’s irrelevant.
Also, he’s shown that his defense alone can win ballgames. We’re more athletic up front than we ever were with Lebron, and if he can maximize paint and rim protection with Varejao and TT it will get us a few wins that we’ve been blowing. It’s not like the offense under Scott was so stellar that we’re giving up a lot either.
Hey – betcha Andy’s happy today. “Good, I won’t have to defend every guy on the floor, every effing play.”
Oh god, Mike Brown Third Quarter Basketball is back
Both seem plausible I didn’t do a good job framing my question. It should have been I wonder how Ferry feels about his firing now that Brown has been rehired?
edit: I forgot Ferry quit he wasn’t fired.
I think it’s getting clearer that Scott was hired as the second enticement for LBJ. The first was firing Brown which led to Ferry’s stepping down (I misspoke earlier I forgot Ferry quit once Brown was fired Ferry wasn’t fired). The second enticement was hiring Scott. LBJ didn’t bite left and won a championship. Meanwhile the Cavaliers went into the tank and three years later fire Scott and rehire Brown. For me this is just a black eye for Gilbert it makes his tantrum the night LBJ left minor. Unfortunately it’ll be Cavaliers fans who suffer I’m afraid.
yes, I think his ceiling is beneath that level as well. the one thing he can always hang his hat on is that he could get ANYONE to play defense. We had an entire series where Wally Sczerbiak limited Ray Allen. I will always wonder how Mike Brown coaxed that out of him.
as for cronyism, I think it depends on who your crony’s are đ
it sounds funny, but honestly, it’s true. noone complains with Paul Brown hiring a bunch of his guys in Cinci when he left here. Or Bill Walsh gathering up old acquaintances (and sometimes guys they suggested that were their assistants) in SF. Belichick hired an impeccable staff in Cleveland the first time through his connections.
we’ll see what happens next.
Everyone s gotta relax. Mike Brown is a good coach. He is better than Byron Scott. We are a better team with him. Sometimes changes need to be made even though in hindsight they were probably better off keeping him. Adjustments will be made to the offense. Gilbert is too smart to overlook that. They will hire a competant offense coach and be fine. And, gulp, it does not mean Lebron won’t come back.
But he’s a grinder guys!
His failure to play Hickson more esp against Boston was a clear mistake. I think he is a fine coach but this along with his lack of adjustments during the Orlando series are black marks against his record. Period.
Hopefully he has learned from those clear mistakes…
neither quit nor fired. His contract was up, they had some talks re a possible extension, contract expired and he left.
wouldn’t that be a hoot. Actually, I’ve been shouting into the canyon for months that the talk of “maybe LeBron will decide to return” is ridic. It’s never been just his choice. He enraged a self-made billionaire who has a well-documented temper and who had coddled him, his queen mother and idiot posse for years. I’ve always doubted Gilbert would easily let go of the spectacular public middle finger he was given just because “business is business.” He’s wealthy enough and proud enough to nurse that grudge, and maybe this hire proves me right. He may have convinced himself that an older LeBron triumphantly returning with his ring(s) and attitude but without Wade is just as toxic as immature LeBron was. And though Gilbert’s not objective, he may still be right.
I think this is the start of the greatest moment in Cleveland sports……THE COMEBACK. I can see it now. Delonte, Shaq, Jamison and Mo all return. Z, AV, and Boobie are ready to roll. Chris Jent to run the offense. Unstoppable
i like this comment a lot, and hate myself for that.
Brown had the best player on the planet last time he was here. He repeatedly was made to look like a fool next to Doc, and VanGundy.
Now without the best player on the planet and a few guys who don’t seem to want to play defense I can’t imagine results even close to what we did before. Plus we all have to endure those strange facial expressions again…
I can definitely see that angle and I was really just joking around… I’ve been driving the “LBJ is not coming back” tour bus, but starting on the other side of town. You point to Gilbert and his ego, and I think that is a good argument… I think he wants nothing more than to bury LeBron James. However, from the LeBron side, I selfishly think that I understand how this cat thinks. He’s entitled. He’s all about his brand. He’s all about collecting rings. He’s all about himself. If we know these things about him, then let’s review the potential reasons for him coming back to Cleveland. 1) He wants to finish what he started – I don’t buy it, he had a bad breakup with the city and his feelings were extremely hurt when he learned that his former fans didn’t want him to just “do him” as it’s said. I don’t think he can easily hit the reset button with these fans. 2) He wants to come home and get a championship for his hometown – No. LBJ has never considered himself to be from Cleveland… he never rooted for its teams growing up and has no loyalty to the city. Akron doesn’t have a pro basketball team… that’s his home. 3) It would be a great accomplishment, an amazing feat in the history books – he’d have to spend each season in Cleveland and amazing feat or not, he’s not doing that again when LA, NY, and Chicago are calling.
The people who believe LBJ is a good guy at his core believe that he wants to come back to Cleveland. The people who believe that he’s masking a rotten core believe that he’s not coming back. I’m in the latter camp.
You are definitely correct in that Mike Brown can teach defense, and I’m very excited to see the young guys start to dig in and defend. Remember how good Boobie got under him? He regressed under Byron Scott, but for a while under Brown, he was a stopper. Dion Waiters has the potential to be an elite perimeter defender with the right teaching. I think Brown will have the Cavs in the playoffs next year, and the prospect of watching our boys back in the top half of the league playing meaningful games late in the season is exciting enough. But at some point, I think Brown is going to end up getting fired in favor of someone else who can get the Cavs over the hump to championship glory.
As far as cronyism, sure there are examples of it working out, but I feel like there are more negative examples than positive. Pat Shurmur, Alan Trammell, Romeo Crennel (w/ Chiefs under Pioli) etc.
Yes I think I remember that as well. I was meaning that Grant wasn’t the one who had to fire his best bud, it was Ferry. I wonder if Grant wouldn’t have tried to fight more to keep Brown if he was the GM then. At any rate, we know that there’s no hard feelings between the two about the firing.
I wouldn’t wish that job on my worst enemy.
You must be Catholic đ (Can you get away with fairly innocuous religion jokes on here? I guess I’ll find out).
I think at his core he is a mutant personality that local sports fans and the athletic fetish culture in general had a huge hand in creating. But mostly what I’ve always seen with LeBron is that he wants everyone to love him. He felt the most scorn from the 216 area code, and that’s what might make him contemplate returning. Unless he can feel enough warm fuzzies and dissipation of hate from 216 just hearing the pleas for him to return, in which case that urge may disappear when better teammates and hipper cities are elsewhere.
I think that’s who he was in Cleveland, and even during his first year in Miami. I think he isn’t that guy anymore though. The hate spewing from Cleveland (and around the country really) made him grow up and put a chip on his shoulder, and it got him over the hump to where he could win a championship. He doesn’t care if Cleveland hates him anymore… that’s my theory anyway.
can we stop talking about him now? I’m heading over to Quentin Groves.
Cool, save me a hooker.