Fired, Wired and Hired in Los Angeles

Mike Brown, fired

Mike Brown

The Los Angeles Lakers wasted no time in this young NBA season. They invested heavily in building up the team during the off-season, and they must win another championship this year. This is the sort of pressure CEOs and their organizations experience, and if they don't produce, they're out much quicker than they can imagine. Coach Mike Brown obviously found himself on the short end of the stick, as the beloved 'Lake Show' stumbled badly at the season's start.

Reference:  With no time to waste, Lakers make right decision in firing Mike Brown

Phil Jackson, wired. 

Phil Jackson

I am a Chicago Bulls fan, and Phil Jackson was singularly responsible for an outstanding 1990s, what, with two 'three-peat' championships. He followed that up with a 'three-peat' and a 're-peat' with the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2000s. That's a remarkable 11 championships in two decades of basketball, where the odds of any coach winning just one is virtually miniscule. I love the Zen Master, so it seemed that he was all set to return to the bench to bring that storied 'Lake Show' back on the championship track. Seemed.

Reference:  West Side: Jackson was Lakers' man

Mike D'Antoni, hired. 

Mike D'Antoni

Mike D'Antoni left the New York Knicks in a fiasco around Carmelo Anthony last year. I don't follow his coaching or his teams, but was shocked to hear that the Los Angeles top brass chose him over Phil Jackson. If an NBA championship were a Nobel Prize, there is absolutely no other coach in the league you'd seek for advice, research, leadership and results than the Zen Master. He has 11 such 'prizes.' Still, this article opened my eyes to the prospects that Mike D'Antoni was actually a better fit with the Lakers and offered a better chance for that 'prize.'

Reference:  East Side: D'Antoni was right pick

Thank you for reading, and let me know what you think!

Ron Villejo, PhD