Mike Brown Listed Among Candidates For Lakers’ Vacancy

Former Lakers coach and current Warriors assistant Mike Brown may be among the candidates for LA’s current vacancy, according to Dan Woike and Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

Brown, 52, is definitely familiar with both the Lakers and resident superstar LeBron James. He coached the Lakers a decade ago for one season, lasting just five games into the next before being fired.

Prior to that, Brown coached James early in his career with the Cavaliers (2005-10). Brown later returned to the Cavs, but was fired after one season. James also returned to the Cavs from the Heat — one season after Brown was fired a second time from the organization (2014).

While Brown has been widely considered a good coach and even better person, his defense-first philosophy of grind-it-out, ugly basketball has not always sat well with the players.

That said, Brown has been an assistant with Steve Kerr and the wide-open Warriors since 2016, and is said to be admired by James. In that sense, Brown’s candidacy would make sense — especially when you consider the Lakers’ major defensive issues of this past season.

Woike and Turner also listed former Thunder and Wizards coach Scott Brooks, Jazz assistant Alex Jensen and ex-Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts as other potential candidates.