Firing Mike Brown is the easy part for the Cavaliers. Now, who replaces him as coach?
View full sizeThe hard work is just beginning for the Cleveland Cavaliers after firing Mike Brown on Sunday, Terry Pluto says.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- If Mike Brown were fired by another team -- and the Cavaliers needed a coach -- he'd probably be a serious candidate for the job.That will be the case for teams without coaches, such as New Orleans, Chicago and Atlanta. Brown will look good to them, as well as to the Nets. Five years, five playoff appearances, never losing in the first round.
Overall record is 272-138, the .663 percentage is the best in Cavs history.
Brown was fired Sunday for one reason: He didn't lead the Cavs to the NBA Finals this season. There are other issues. His offense was sometimes stagnant. Defensively, the Cavs fell apart against Orlando in the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, and again in this season's second-round loss to Boston.
Another argument against him is five years with the same team is an eternity in the NBA, where the average coach's survival rate is shorter than a one-term president.
In the end, the Cavs decided they need a new voice.
But who?
As times passes and Orlando continues to play even worse against Boston than the Cavs, replacing Brown seems even more challenging than when the Cavs were wiped out in six games less than two weeks ago.
Most of the names being floated sound like a kindergartner's Christmas list.
Sure, Phil Jackson will leave L.A. where his girlfriend is the owner's daughter and he has Kobe Bryant under contract for next season. You bet, a 63-year-old Mike Krzyzewski can't wait to leave Duke for Cleveland, where he may -- or may not -- have a chance to coach LeBron James.
Tom Izzo may be the best college coach in the business, but is the man from Michigan State capable of adjusting to the NBA -- where most veteran college coaches have been dismal failures? Does he even want to, as he has turned down other pro opportunities in the past.
John Calipari? If you hire the Kentucky coach, he comes to town as the man picked by James to coach James. Is that healthy or wise? And is Calipari even the right fit for the NBA? His greatest strength is recruiting, which is not near the top of the list as attributes needed to coach in the NBA.
Most successful NBA coaches are former pro players such as Doc Rivers, George Karl, Lenny Wilkens, Don Nelson, Pat Riley, Nate McMillan, Scott Skiles or Rick Adelman.
Or they are veteran pro assistants: Stan Van Gundy, Alvin Gentry, Gregg Popovich, Flip Saunders, Mike Fratello or Mike Brown. Larry Brown was a little of everything: A tremendous guard in the old American Basketball Association, a coach at UCLA and Kansas, along with lots of pro teams.
Guess you can write Larry Brown's name on the list for the Cavs, assuming he could get out of his deal with Charlotte. Then again, Brown and James did not enjoy the pleasure of each other's company during their summer vacations together with USA Basketball.
As you consider the realistic and available candidates -- Mike Woodson, Avery Johnson, Byron Scott, Lawrence Frank, Vinny Del Negro -- their resumes are not any better than that of Mike Brown. Scott went to the Finals twice with the Nets, Johnson once with Dallas.
A few e-mailers mentioned Hubie Brown. I actually like the idea, but does Hubie Brown want to coach again at the age of 76? Does that even make sense?
Boston's Tom Thibodeau, San Antonio's Mike Budenholzer and Houston's Elston Turner are the assistant coaches who are supposed to be excellent candidates to take over a team. But who knows what they can do?
Do you hand the Cavs over to a guy who has never been a pro head coach before?
Cavs owner Dan Gilbert probably would. He claimed experience "can be good or bad," meaning you can have a lot of experience in mediocrity.
As the Cavs begin their search, they can't worry about what James wants in a coach -- unless it's a guy who has a reputation of clashing with most superstars. They need to find the best coach possible, because who knows what James will do.
Yes, Mike Brown had a two-time MVP in James. Yes, he had tremendous support from ownership and the front office. But his five years reveal that this man of exceptional character did a very solid job as coach of the Cavaliers.
Replacing him will be even harder than the Cavs or their fans believe.