Mike Brown Fired: Who should take over?

[Big Sexy]

Mike Brown was fired today as the Cavs coach (and he definitely deserved to be fired) despite a 61 win season. With LeBron being a free agent this summer the Cavs need to make sure he stays because he IS that franchise. Hiring the right coach would be the first step to get him to stay. Here are some potential candidates.

Byron Scott- This is the kind of hire that may entice LeBron to stay. The man led the Nets to back to back finals appearances and then helped turn around a struggling Hornets franchise and led them to a couple playoff appearances in the tough Western Conference. This would be a great hire.

John Calipari- This is somewhat of a long shot but Calipari is an NBA guy and this offer may be too good for him to pass up if LeBron stays. This is the one hire that I think would almost guarantee LeBron comes back. They threw around his name a few years ago when they thought about bringing Larry Brown in as team president.

Mike Woodson- Very good coach who helped turn the Hawks around however I'm not sure the Cavs want to replace their recently fired coach with another recently fired coach.

Mark Jackson- His name has been thrown around by a few teams the last couple years and he is a wild card here. If his playing style is indicative to the way he coaches then he and LeBron would be a perfect match together and he could do wonders for the games of Mo Williams and Delonte West.

So who will/should the Cavs hire?

 

[Nev]

Mike Brown got fired? Stunning. I thought he was an OK head coach. His coaching staff usually made good adjustments, but they just couldnt' find anyone who can match up with K.G (like last year with Dwight Howard). Poor Cavs though, they didn't even face Orlando in the playoffs so it looks like getting Jamison and Shaq was for nothing.

Maybe the Cavs get Mikhail Prokhorov? That's unlikely though.

 

[gd]

Wow. Not shocked that it happened, just that they did it so soon. It was definetly deserved though. Two straight big time disappointments and just perplexing strategy/rotations at times during the playoffs.

Looking at your list, I think Scott would be a solid pickup. He's a big name and has had success in the past and his players seemed to have liked him.

Apparently Calipari is friends with LeBron or something, but I wouldn't go that route. College coaches to the NBA rarely seem to work out.

No way they get Woodson. You don't hire a guy whose team got completely embarassed and quit on him in the playoffs if you want to keep LeBron.

Mark Jackson would be interesting as hell. He's a fantastic announcer and definetly knows the game. He may also be able to relate to LeBron some what. Even better, Jackson's partner Stan Van Gundy. I think the Cavs may need someone like him who is the complete opposite of Brown in that he'll get in guys faces and call them out on stuff.

However, in the end I think the answer has to be "whoever LeBron wants." This offseason the Cavs main goal is obviously keeping LeBron in town, at any cost. If he says he wants someone to coach, they're going to be there.


Edit: Apparently the reports were false and he hasn't been fired yet. Regardless, he should be and probably eventually will be.

 

[People's Champ]

Well, its offfical today. Mike Brown has been fired from Cleveland. As was said before, this was inevitable. He didn't bring a title, and with Lebron on the verge of leaving, needed to make a change. This move was for Lebron and noone else. They need to do whatever they can to keep him, and its obvious that it just wasn't working with Brown. As far as who they should bring in, it has to be somebody with experience. Someone who has been there before, as a player and as a coach. Someone who Lebron can respect. I think Byron Scott would be a great choice. He's done it with the Lakers, he did it as a coach with the Nets, tho they didn't win. I think he's a good choice to take the team over.

 

[Big Sexy]

Another name I'd like to add to my original list in this thread is Avery Johnson. I really don't know how he hasn't already been hired in the last couple years. He had great success in Dallas and was able to lead them to the NBA Finals. I always thought his firing was premature and he's another guy that LeBron would respect along with the likes of Byron Scott and Marc Jackson so I think that hiring could also entice him to say

 

[People's Champ]

I agree with you Big about Avery Johnson. He won 73% of his games, he has always been known to be a great motivational coach. I think that would also be a good candidate for the Cavs. He's had some time off and I'm sure he's ready to get back in the coaching ranks. I personally think he is a good coach and I'm sure he would he take the opportunity to coach Lebron (should Lebron stay) and the Cavs. Now it will take more than Avery to keep Lebron, but bringing in Avery would be a good step in the right direction. I like Scott better, but Avery is great option.

 

[Big Sexy]

Throwing the fantasy option of John Calipari out the window, I think the top three guys they should think about are Byron Scott, Avery Johnson, and Mark Jackson. Probably in that order. Scott and Johnson both won NBA titles as players and have been to the finals as a coach. Mark Jackson is intriguing because I really think the way he played during his career would help LeBron as a player assuming Jackson coaches like he played. However, I think the Cavs would rather go with an experienced coach like Scott or Johnson.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

I'm thinking Scott would be the best option for the Cavs. He had some pretty good runs with the Hornets with basically only Chris Paul and he seems to be a very likable guy. The fact that he in his day was a good player doesn't hurt in the respect department either, just ask Hanley Ramirez. I don't know if the hire would lock up LeBron or not but even if James leaves and they hire Scott it would be good hire for the Cavs.

 

[People's Champ]

I'm thinking Scott would be the best option for the Cavs. He had some pretty good runs with the Hornets with basically only Chris Paul and he seems to be a very likable guy. The fact that he in his day was a good player doesn't hurt in the respect department either, just ask Hanley Ramirez. I don't know if the hire would lock up LeBron or not but even if James leaves and they hire Scott it would be good hire for the Cavs.

This is a great point, and something the Cavs need to make sure they take into account. They need to prepare in case Lebron decides to leave. They can't make moves just to keep Lebron. While that should be the number 1 priority, they also need to make moves that will benefit the team should he leave. And that includes who they hire as coach. They can't hire someone who will just please Lebron, but someone who will get the respect of the team and can lead this team. Scott fits that mold. Hiring him will not only help to pursuade Lebron to stay but also benefit the team as a whole.

 

[People's Champ]

So word is Tom Izzo is leaning toward taking the Cavs job if offered. If I'm the Cavs I'm not offering it to him. Bad move. Owner Daniel Gilbert said Lebron is not part of the decision making. Complete bullshit. Every move they make has to be about Lebron, being that he is arguably the best player in the NBA (I'll still take Kobe). They can't afford to lose him. So they need to hire a head coach that Lebron will respect. That's not Izzo.

Lebron stated that his goal is not a max deal but rather winning titles. What exactly has Izzo won in the NBA? Nothing. Why would Lebron listen to a guy who hasn't coached in the NBA? This just doesn't make sense. You got proven winners in Scott and Jackson. Those are the guys the Cavs need to after. I think hiring Izzo would be a big mistake.