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L.A. Lakers fire head coach after 1-4 start
[Updated at 4:35 p.m. ET] The Los Angeles Lakers' 0-8 preseason and 1-4 start to the regular season were too much for the front office to take.
The NBA team on Friday fired second-year head coach Mike Brown, whose efforts to implement a new offense and mesh free-agent signings with stars who won a title two years ago didn't turn into wins.
"Really, it came down to ownership and management looking at the record, looking at the improvement level, and wondering a month or two or three down the road, will we be in the same spot," General Manager Mitch Kupchak told reporters.
Assistant Coach Bernie Bickerstaff will be interim head coach for Friday night's game against the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers said.
The Lakers, just two years removed from an NBA championship, are loaded with high-profile talent with the likes of all-stars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol, as well as new additions Steve Nash, a former league MVP, and former Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard.
But Nash has missed most of the season's early games with an injury, and the Lakers struggled with a complex new offense Brown was implementing.
"I never thought we got to the point where the offense was flowing," Kupchak said. "You could see flashes of it, but we never got to a point (where it was consistent through a game)."
A reporter asked Kupchak whether a desire to make Howard's first year a smooth one was a factor in the decision. The star center would be a free agent at season's end if he doesn't sign an extension.
“Obviously, we know he is a free agent this summer, and you want to make the experience for him as good as possible, but we have a lot of other people we need to (please) as well,” Kupchak said.
Kupchak said the team's management decided Thursday night to make the move, a days after the Lakers lost a 95-86 game at Utah.
Brown released a statement saying he had great respect for the family of Lakers owner Jerry Buss "and the Lakers’ storied tradition, and I thank them for the opportunity they afforded me."
"I have a deep appreciation for the coaches and players that I worked with this past year and I wish the organization nothing but success as they move forward,” Brown said.
Before taking the Lakers job in May 2011, Brown, 42, compiled a 272-138 regular-season record in five seasons as head coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
On Twitter
The players are over the hill or sucks. SO fire the coach. They can't eat the players contracts.
As a Suns fan that hates the Lakers with every fibre I have to say you are crazy. Nash, Kobe, Howard and Gasol suck?
PFFT!
Nodack, Everything about Arizona sucks. Give it a rest. Maybe when we are all dead they might be considered a basketball minor league success. After all they have soooo many championship wins.
$100 million salary team and can barley win a game. Next coach better have some magic beans.
Plus, they had to pay Brown close to $11 million to fire him. Pretty sweet deal.
Their performance doesn't have anything to do with their coach. All those pricey free agents they signed are all "me me me" guys and there's only room for Kobe's "me" in LA. Can't buy wins Buss.
Time to bring in some new knees.....they are like Dallas, too old but it was good while it lasted.
Oh dear.....such a tragedy....I can see how this is really going to damage society and the economy therein. What a shame, I literally need to reach for a tissue here. Thanks for posting this article of importance, CNN, we're much better off knowing this.
Brown was and is a bad coach and deserves to be fired. His whole offense strategy in Cleveland was to give the ball to Lebron; his whole offense strategy in LA was to give the ball to Kobe
Hello Phil, Howz it goin? Are you busy? would you mind ah, saving us again.
So they fired the head coach after a 1 and 4 start. Whet they really need are basketball players instead of paycheck collectors Kobe can't carry them anymore and shouldn't. They are the over the hill gang in purple and gold.
Time to bring Mike D in. Nash still plays like he's 33 five years younger he just needs the BALL and the pick n roll Brown never gave him
Kobe's death stare...gotta love it....@Mike Brown you were the problem.. a princeton offense in LA...hit the road jack and let .....,Showtime Begin ....again...ijs
Funny, I haven't seen him in uniform, let alone on the court, once this year.
Going from phil jackson to mike brown is like going from ribeyes to bolognia and when u have a team salary like the lakers have with that much talent bolognia is not acceptable
First, the Trojans suck. Now the Lakers. It's a beautiful world, ain't it?
I am a die hard lakers fan, and i have been for many, many years before kobe bryant was acquired. I personally would like to see phil jackson come back to the lakers and get us back on track or maybe magic johnson.
Dido, Lakers fan since 1980 but Magic is not the right coach. Magic can do everything else exceptionally well but coaching is not one of them. Phil is first choice and Sloan is my second choice.