Mike Brown, who was fired twice in Cleveland, creates success in Sacramento
With a familiar face and two-time coach in Cleveland, the Cavaliers have made a comeback to the NBA playoffs. The Sacramento Kings have made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2006 thanks to Mike Brown, snapping the longest postseason drought in NBA history.
Terry Pluto, a sports analyst for Ideastream Public Media, claims that Brown’s path as an NBA coach has been distinctive.
In 1992, Brown began working with the Denver Nuggets as a scout and video coordinator after deciding not to play professional basketball. His big break came in 2005 when he was named head coach of the Cavaliers, having worked his way up to associate coach with the San Antonio Spurs and Indiana Pacers. At thirty-five, he was the second-youngest coach in the league.
When Brown arrived in Cleveland, the Cavs had missed the playoffs in LeBron James’s first two NBA seasons and had not made the playoffs since 1998.
“So, they did make the playoffs and he coached here for five years, the last five years of LeBron’s first tenure here. In fact, his last year, they went 61-21, and he got fired because LeBron left and the whole thing was falling apart back then,” Pluto said.
In 2011, Brown succeeded Phil Jackson as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
“He lasts one year and five games and he gets fired,” Pluto said.
After that, Brown could be found on the football field, helping to coach the JV team.
“Elijah, his son, was participating in basketball at St. Ed’s, but Brown prefers football.” Not only was he not a head coach. He was simply another guy in the crowd. He was compensated by the Lakers for not coaching during the course of a few years.
His second stint with the Cavs began in 2013, however it was short-lived.
That is the time when LeBron James returns. Mike Brown leaves the room again. The Cavaliers are now paying him to not coach for a few years,” Pluto stated.
A another well-known figure in Cleveland sports, Steve Kerr, who was a player for the Cavs from 1989 to 1992, calls Brown in 2016. Kerr is the Golden State Warriors’ head coach.
