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NBA

Mike Brown Belongs on the Hot Seat

Posted May 19, 2008 3:30AM By Matt Watson (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Cavaliers, Eastern, Cleveland

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Mike BrownI haven't seen a single rumor suggesting Mike Brown's job is in jeopardy. In fact, considering the man signed a two-year extension just four months ago, he probably has as much job security as anyone in the entire league. But if the Cavs really want to take the next step forward, GM Danny Ferry should put "find a new coach" at the top of his summer to-do list.

I know, I know: the Cavs advanced all the way to the Finals last year, and only a true cynic could fault them for losing to a 66-win Celtics team this year. But LeBron James has been the reason for their success, not Brown. If Brown were simply along for the ride it wouldn't be all that bad, but all too often he's actually standing in the way.

How so? By being oblivious to knowing how to use the best player in the game. There's no way around it: the Cavs' offense is simply atrocious. The mainstream media turns a blind eye because they're too busy celebrating LeBron's amazing individual numbers, but for people actually paying attention, it's almost unbearable.

I've pointed this fact out every chance I've had, and I'm glad to see other people are noticing, as well. Here's how noted basketball author Brian McCormick described it in a blog post prior to Game 7:
[Boston's defense looks] good because the Cavs put LeBron in positions to fail. He gets the ball 30 feet from the basket, nobody moves and the entire defense plays him. They run down the shot clock so he is forced to take terrible shots.

Now, LeBron is not perfect. He can only shoot jump shots going to his left. If he dribbles right and has to shoot a jumper, he puts it behind his back to his left hand and steps back for the shot.

Why are the Cavs afraid to shoot in the first 14 seconds of the shot clock? Why doesn't James post-up? When he does get the ball near the post, however, he always reverse pivots to the baseline side, rather than to the middle, which takes away space and makes for a tougher shot or move. Now, he did make a great move off this in Game 6, but he makes it so he has to make near spectacular plays to score.
To be fair, Brown is a fine defensive coach, but he's severely under-qualified to handle a weapon like LeBron. The Cavs have learned a lot under his tenure, but he's not the man to take the Cavs over the hump. Against the Celtics in Game 7, LeBron was unstoppable. But with the right offensive mind calling the shots, the rest of the team could be unstoppable, as well.

Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, a Michigan native and lifelong Pistons fan, has admitted to trying to mold his franchise after the Pistons. But right now, Gilbert has unwittingly reproduced the Rick Carlisle/Jerry Stackhouse era -- good enough to win 50 games but not a serious contender by any means. Unless Gilbert is willing to realize that the current formula will always simply be "good enough" and never "great," the Cavs will remain an afterthought for the foreseeable future.

Update: a counterargument by Henry Abbott at TrueHoop

Tags: Dan+Gilbert, DanGilbert, Danny+Ferry, DannyFerry, LeBron+James, LebronJames, Mike+Brown, MikeBrown

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