LeBron could have stopped Mike Brown from being fired

[djohn2oo8]

It took the Cavaliers 10 days following the end of the season to fire Mike Brown. They'll have to wait much longer to hire his replacement.
Brown was fired Sunday night by owner Dan Gilbert and General Manager Danny Ferry, the first major move to start what will be the most complex and crucial summer in the 40-year history of the franchise.
Choosing Brown's replacement will be complicated by LeBron James' pending free agency and the end of Ferry's contract.
The team is unlikely to settle on a new coach until it knows James' destination. Because he can opt out of his contract on July 1 and become a free agent, the new coach might not be in place for another six to eight weeks.
''It will come with different expectations, whether you have James or don't have James,'' said ESPN analyst and former NBA coach Jeff Van Gundy, who wouldn't discuss it, but could be considered a candidate to replace Brown. ''You're a championship contender if you have James, and if not, you're going to have to modify expectations. But it's still a really good job.''

Not enough wins
Brown departs with the highest winning percentage of any coach in team history. He went 272-138 (.663) in five seasons and guided a patchwork rotation to the NBA Finals three years ago. But he couldn't get the Cavs out of the Eastern Conference in either of the last two postseasons, despite boasting the league's best regular-season record both years.
The Cavs were ousted by the Boston Celtics this month in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

''Whether you agree with the firing or not, I think it is very fair to say that he got fired on the basis of three games, the last three games of the [Boston] series,'' Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy

said Monday night before Game 4 of the Eastern Conference finals. The Magic entered the night trailing Boston 3-0. ''I believe today when he was still an active coach, he had the highest [winning] percentage of any active coach. I don't know how much more of a case you need to make for a guy. The facts certainly support that Mike Brown is one of a basketball coach in this league.''
Rumors of Brown's dismissal surfaced after last season's loss to the Magic in the conference finals. This time, Gilbert couldn't look away after the Cavaliers missed out on the NBA finals a second straight year.
''The expectations of this organization are very high,'' Gilbert said. ''Although change always carries an element of risk, there are times when that risk must be taken in an attempt to break through to new, higher levels of accomplishment. This is one of those times.''
Gilbert reportedly will have to pay Brown only about half of his $4 million salary by firing him within 10 days of the end of the season. Sunday was the 10th day.
Gilbert's next decision will be Ferry's fate, although all signs point to him remaining. Ferry's contract with the Cavs expires on June 31 and he has yet to receive an extension.
Payroll soared to nearly $100 million after Gilbert approved adding Shaquille O'Neal and Antawn Jamison via trades, but the team was still unable to win James his first NBA championship.

Strained relationship
James' relationship with Brown appeared to deteriorate this season.
James sharply criticized Brown for benching Zydrunas Ilgauskas the night Ilgauskas was set to become the franchise leader in games played. Then he took what seemed to be a jab at Brown's blistering criticism of the

Cavs' performance following a Game 2 loss to the Celtics.
Brown chided his team for a lack of intensity, but James dismissed it minutes later by saying, ''It's no panic for me. I may handle it differently than Mike may handle it. This is a long series and I understand that. I've been in these situations before.''Ten days later, the season was over.
''Mike Brown would still be the coach there today if LeBron James had stepped out and said, 'He's my guy,' '' one league source said while speaking on condition of anonymity.

''O'Neal could have done the same thing.''James is on vacation, according to publicist Keith Estabrook, and wouldn't comment about the firing. Jeff Van Gundy disagreed with that decision.

''He needs to weigh in on this because they were together five fantastic years,'' Jeff Van Gundy said. ''He owes Mike Brown, who was unwavering in support of LeBron and his teammates.''
Brown probably won't be out of work long. He should be at the top of the list for the other five NBA teams without a coach. If James leaves, the new Cavs' coach could have fewer credentials than the man they just fired.

http://www.ohio.com/sports/cavs/94803589.html

[namlook]

''I believe today when he was still an active coach, he had the highest [winning] percentage of any active coach."

Jackson .705
Popovich .670
Brown .663

[4>0rings]

He was not a good coach, period. Why would LeBron want him back?

[namlook]

He was not a good coach, period. Why would LeBron want him back?

Lebron is not going to save Mike Brown if he hasn't decided where he is playing. The Cavs would have had to pay Mike Brown millions if they had waited one more day to fire him. They probably went to Lebron and Lebron told them he couldn't commit yet and that Mike Brown would not make or break his decision.

[picc84]

Lebron probably has no idea whats going on in Cleveland. Why would you follow a city you have no connection to?

[dickface]

''He needs to weigh in on this because they were together five fantastic years,'' Jeff Van Gundy said. ''He owes Mike Brown, who was unwavering in support of LeBron and his teammates.''

Yeah, it takes a real genius of a coach to support LeBron.