Mike Brown: From the second Mike Brown was hired to succeed Phil Jackson as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in the spring of 2011, fans and media have been less than optimistic about his chances of leading such a high profile team as the Lakers.
Brown got a free pass last season thanks to the lockout. The Lakers didn’t have a training camp or any normal practice time to build chemistry. That’s not to say the Mike Brown haters have gone extinct, and if the Lakers struggle at any point this season with their newly formed super team, expect Brown to get most of the blame.
Brown’s fortitude to lead a locker room was questioned when it was just Kobe and Pau running the show. Imagine how it will be with four future hall of famers in the starting lineup.
Here are the final results of the Facebook poll conducted last week:
With a staggering 81 percent of the vote, Mike Brown was selected by fans as the Laker facing the most pressure next season. Brown was followed by Dwight Howard, who received nine percent of the vote. Kobe Bryant received six percent of the vote, while Pau Gasol and Steve Nash both received roughly one percent of the fans’ votes.
Brown receiving the majority of the vote should be no surprise. As I mentioned earlier in the article, Brown has been under the microscope since he was hired, and unlike last season, there will be no blaming a lockout shortened season for any potential shortcomings. The Lakers are going to be a much improved team next season. Some would argue coaching such a talented team, possibly the best in the league, would alleviate pressure.
But they would be wrong. I could stand on the sidelines next season, and the team would likely win more games and make noise in the postseason. Being a vastly improved team will in no way lessen any pressure Brown will feel next season. In sports, great expectations are usually correlated with a great deal of pressure, especially for a coach with so much to prove.
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Make sure to catch this week’s edition of Locker Room Talk!
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