Cavs Coach Mike Brown Fired

[SenorSpur]

Under the clandestine, deep cover of night, comes this:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=5213917

CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Cavaliers have fired Mike Brown, a source close to the head coach told ESPN The Magazine's Ric Bucher.

The Cavaliers had a midnight deadline on Sunday to fire the coach or pay him his full $4.5 million salary for next season.

Cleveland was ousted from the playoffs two weeks ago by the Boston Celtics, who upset the NBA's top regular-season team in six games.

Brown, who had one year left on his contract, could be quickly scooped up by one of the five other teams looking for head coaches. Brown has guided the team to the postseason in each of his five seasons. Cleveland's assistants also have one year remaining on their deals.

Brown was the league's coach of the year last season when the Cavs won 66 games. Cleveland lost to Orlando in the conference finals, however, and it was assumed Brown would have to get the team closer to a championship to keep his job.

Instead, the Cavs regressed. They were badly outplayed by the Celtics, who won the last two games played in Cleveland by a combined 50 points. But Cavs owner Dan Gilbert insisted last week that the team didn't quit against Boston.

"It's one of those things that you can't believe it after it's happened," Gilbert said. "I feel bad for the fans more than anybody."

Cleveland's next move will be an interesting one. Because of LeBron James' uncertain future, it's possible the Cavs would want his input into their next coaching hire, assuming the two-time MVP is still considering re-signing with Cleveland when free agency opens in July. The Cavs will have to search for a new coach not knowing if James will be back and would have to go into the draft and free agency without a coach.

James is eligible to opt out of his contract this summer, a move that would make the two-time MVP -- and zero-time NBA champion -- a free agent and set off a scramble for his services from New York to Miami to Los Angeles and, of course, back in Cleveland.

[TimDunkem]

lol

[PGDynasty24]

NO way. I am Completely Shocked

[peskypesky]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Ghazi]

New coach (whoever), new superstar (Beaubois), new era in Cleveland.

[namlook]

New coach (whoever), new superstar (Beaubois), new era in Cleveland.

Ghazi = suffering from Delusions of Grandeur
(http://spurstalk.com/forums/member.php?u=12291)

[ClingingMars]

TNT confirms

[Pistons < Spurs]

New coach (whoever), new superstar (Beaubois), new era in Cleveland.


Charles Barkley: 'I guarantee that LeBron James isn't going to Dallas'


Why is LeBron James not coming to Dallas?

If they do a sign and trade, they have to get rid of their old team and keep Dirk. And him and Dirk alone wouldn’t be enough to win the championship. Those two guys would be a good team, clearly, but I guarantee that LeBron James isn’t going to Dallas. To me, it’s either New York, Cleveland or Chicago, from a basketball standpoint.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/stories/052410dnspobarkleylebron.323408e1.html

[Pistons < Spurs]

Cavs fire Brown; next up, LeBron (http://ken-berger.blogs.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/11838893/22040801)

The unraveling of the Cavaliers’ season came to its inevitable conclusion early Monday with a source confirming to CBSSports.com that coach Mike Brown has been fired.

Back-to-back 60-win seasons couldn’t save Brown from the backlash of another premature playoff ouster after the Cavs, with the best record in the league, were eliminated from the playoffs in six games by the Boston Celtics.

By firing Brown, the 2008-09 NBA coach of the year, by Sunday at midnight, the Cavs avoided his $4.5 million salary for next season becoming fully guaranteed. Since he was let go before the deadline, only half of Brown’s salary is guaranteed.

Brown, a strong defensive coach groomed in the successful Spurs organization, will immediately become a candidate for head coaching openings in New Orleans and Atlanta and perhaps elsewhere.

According to a second source familiar with the Cavs' strategy, Brown's ouster was the first -- and most important -- piece of the puzzle that had to be solved before Cleveland could proceed with its plan to persuade LeBron James to return to the Cavs once the free-agent negotiating period begins July 1. Recent reports have indicated that James recused himself from the decision on Brown, but decision makers in the organization were well aware that he was not pleased with the way the team failed to adjust to its opponent's style of play for the second straight postseason. Last season, it was Orlando foiling the Cavs' simplistic defensive rotations. This time, it was Boston shredding the Cavs' defense with Rajon Rondo's dribble penetration and mismatches on the interior, with Kevin Garnett exposing Antawn Jamison for the entire six-game series.

In a telling dose of doom for Brown after the Cavs' ouster in Game 6 of the conference semis, James was noncommittal about Brown and declined to come to his defense publicly when asked. Despite Brown's regular season success, it was only a matter of time before the playoff losses caught up to him. And in Cleveland, where an entire city is bracing for James' anticipated foray into unrestricted free agency, the regular season doesn't matter. Playoffs and championships do.

So with everyone from Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to President Obama urging LeBron to weigh his chances of winning a title in another city, the process of sucking up to James begins anew. What coach would persuade him to stay? Or better yet, what coach and supporting cast would persuade him not to leave?

Despite the Cavs' best efforts to placate him with roster additions that have not worked -- Mo Williams, Shaquille O'Neal, Jamison -- there is a growing belief among those familiar with the situation that James is more open than ever to the possibility that he would be able to find a better supporting cast in Chicago. Several factors independent of the Cavs' playoff collapse have enhanced the Bulls' position. The possibility of playing with Derrick Rose, and the fact that the Bulls have left their coaching job vacant -- with James' buddy, John Calipari, lurking in the wings and with Phil Jackson's contractual situation with the Lakers still unresolved -- have conspired to make the Cavs' job of keeping him even harder.

Step one was firing Brown, whether LeBron was directly involved in the decision or not. The next set of dominoes will begin tumbling almost immediately, with Cleveland engaging in a coaching search and LeBron getting some clarity as to what he'd be returning to if he stayed in Cleveland.

Whether Brown deserved to be fired is hardly the issue. Given the expectations, and what was at stake for James' future, it's hard to argue with the decision. Under those circumstances, you can't bring a team with the best record in the league into the playoffs and lose as thoroughly as the Cavs did and expect to keep your job. All we know for sure, though, is that one shoe has dropped. The big ones -- the franchise-shaping ones -- are coming next.

[lurker]

Charles Barkley: 'I guarantee that LeBron James isn't going to Dallas'


Why is LeBron James not coming to Dallas?

If they do a sign and trade, they have to get rid of their old team and keep Dirk. And him and Dirk alone wouldn’t be enough to win the championship. Those two guys would be a good team, clearly, but I guarantee that LeBron James isn’t going to Dallas. To me, it’s either New York, Cleveland or Chicago, from a basketball standpoint. I wasn't a believer in Lebron going to Dallas until now.

[baseline bum]

Time to bring back Fratello and the age of 81 to 77 final scores.

[DMX7]

I'm actually surprised. Who is going to replace him? Avery Johnson? lol.

[namlook]

I'm actually surprised. Who is going to replace him? Avery Johnson? lol.

Whoever Lebron wants.

[024]

no one is going to want to join the sinking ship that is cleveland. when lebron leaves, it will be a core of mo williams, jamison, and varejao. although they will have another chance at a number one pick.

[D2Procon]

Its obvious Lebron is leaving Cleveland. When asked about the future of Mike Brown, he said he wanted the organization to deal with it obviously because he is leaving.

[redzero]

For reals this time.

[Booharv]

They need to change the criteria for the NBA Coach of the Year already. Something like "who would you like to coach your team if you had to pick one coach for one game or something", or "who is the best as of now?" That way Mike Brown doesn't get one before Jerry Sloan and guys like Phil Jackson and Popovich get multiple awards before all those surprise overachieving teams' coaches (who will be fired in two to three years) get theirs.

[XFactor]

I totally agree with the above posts, whats up with all these coach of the year getting fired 2 years after they were awarded. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of the award.

[sefant77]

I wasn't a believer in Lebron going to Dallas until now.

:rollin

Lebron! :lol

[pauls931]

Pretty much explains why he didn't make any effort in that last game to tell his team to get its ass in gear. He's probably known this was coming for months now.

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

I totally agree with the above posts, whats up with all these coach of the year getting fired 2 years after they were awarded. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of the award.


The COY award is just a joke, that's why. It's basically the, "Who can run their starters into the ground the most and do gimmicky things to make their team over achieve during the regular season" award. The coaches that win it usually flop in the playoffs and are eventually fired after repeated playoff floppings.

[tlongII]

The first casualty of Delonte West.

[JamStone]

The only coaches I think would give the Cavs a much better chance to keep LeBron are Phil Jackson and Larry Brown, and probably not even Larry Brown because of the 2004 Olympics experience. How do the Cavs get Phil Jackson? Doesn't look it could happen.

But any good coach has got to look at the Cavs and their roster and not want anything to do with it. The Cavs don't have any cap space to make any maneuvers this summer. No legitimate trade assets to make deals. No real young talent, except for future HOF JJ Hickson. No more centers. It's actually quite a mess after LeBron.

[BUMP]

I think the coach of the year should stay as is. Otherwise we'd have Poppovich and Jackson going back and forth every year.

The COY is usually a coach of a team isn't expected to do a whole lot but they become a nice surprise usually by overachieving. Then the fans expect them to get even better the next few years and it just doesn't happen

[DUNCANownsKOBE2]

This year the COY was given to a legitimately good coach. Scotty Brooks developed talent, used a bench, and still won 50 games.

Shit like when Byron Scott got his team the 2nd seed by just whoring the Paul-West p/r before teams knew how to defend it while playing them each huge minutes and not using a bench didn't deserve COY. it was a gimmicky system that killed the Hornets' future.

[Ashy Larry]

man, if you win the coach of the year award, ya ass better put ya house on the market right after because you will be canned soon

[duhoh]

^^ puts your truck to use right? help em move? :D

[Killakobe81]

I think the coach of the year should stay as is. Otherwise we'd have Poppovich and Jackson going back and forth every year.

The COY is usually a coach of a team isn't expected to do a whole lot but they become a nice surprise usually by overachieving. Then the fans expect them to get even better the next few years and it just doesn't happen

Last 5 years it could of been: Phil, Pop, Doc, Pat or SVG

3 letter coaches need only apply ... LOL

[Killakobe81]

Seriously Mike Brown great defensive coach ...really ANY coach that can make guys LOOK better on defense than they actually are is good at that ...

Head coach ...nah?

He should be the Tom Thibeadoeux(?) to someone's Doc ...

He was a GREAT assitant pn Pop's staff ...

Offensively he is numbskull and cowtowed to Lebron too much ... especially late in big games.

[ducks]

so what great coach that james will listen to can the cavs get?

[picc84]

Whoever gave Brown the COY award should be fired.

[DesignatedT]

What a surprise..

[duncan228]

Cavs Interested in Phil Jackson, Coach K, and Several Other Unlikely Coaching Targets (http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=tsn-cavsinterestedinphil)
SportingNews

Last night, the Cavs officially parted ways with head coach Mike Brown, leaving behind someone who had overseen the team’s rise to prominence in the East. It’s not enough that a team gets rid of a coach that has been to the NBA Finals, owns a Coach of the Year award, and guided them to consecutive 60-win seasons, but no one said that this summer would be a normal one for Cleveland.

So who will the team look to pick up to man the bench? Brian Windhorst lists a number of intriguing candidates (http://www.cleveland.com/ohio-sports-blog/index.ssf/2010/05/cavaliers_will_enter_coaching.html), including supposed "dream candidates" Phil Jackson and Mike Krzyzewski and "more realistic big names" like John Calipari and Byron Scott. He even names a few sleepers like Jeff Van Gundy and Spurs assistant Mike Budenholzer.

Yet it remains unclear to me why anyone would take the Cavs job before LeBron James makes his free agent decision, especially if you’re a big name with multiple options. Obviously that applies to people in comfortable situations like Jackson and Coach K, but it could also be the case for lesser candidates like Scott, who carries some impressive name recognition even though he isn’t considered a top-tier candidate.

The fact of the matter is that the Cavs job is pretty terrible if James isn’t in town next season. Without him, the team’s best players are Antawn Jamison and Mo Williams, who are certainly solid players but by no means the guys you want heading up your attack. Plus, while there are many good role players on the roster, someone like Anderson Varejao becomes much less valuable without a superstar like James on the court.

If you take this job before James picks a team, you’re risking taking a job with an awful team and tarnishing your reputation forever. That might sound a bit apocalyptic, but the future of the Cavs looks that dire without LeBron. No one wants to captain a ship that’s already sinking.

[HarlemHeat37]

"Coach of the year" isn't really a meaningful award..ranking coaches is extremely stupid IMO..I'd say "good coach", "average coach", "bad coach", that's pretty much it..I don't believe in "great coaches", even the supposed "best" coaches like Pop and Jackson make stupid/questionable decisions that backfire all the time..

I also disagree that Scott Brooks is a good coach, his coaching in the playoffs was horrible IMO..his coaching in game 2 arguably cost them a game..

[m33p0]

:wakeup

[Allanon]

Curse of Coach of the Year. I think Pop's the only coach to have bucked the curse in the last 15 years or so.