Instant Replay: Why Mike Brown had to go

Did the Los Angeles Lakers press the panic button too soon? After the Lakers started out 1-4, erstwhile head coach Mike Brown was given the pink slip, the first NBA head coach to part ways with his team in the 2012-13 season. His ouster after five games marked the third-fastest departure in the league’s history, only behind Dolph Schayes (one game) and Chick Reiser (three games). In Brown's case, the firing came amidst conflicting reports that Lakers Executive Vice President Jim Buss said that he would be patient with how Brown develops the team’s chemistry. Brown was already under scrutiny from the moment he arrived in Los Angeles. He never fully received Kobe Bryant’s blessing, with the latter having wanted Buss to hire former Phil Jackson assistant Brian Shaw (he's now an assistant with the Indiana Pacers). The disappointment and expectations soared even higher after the Oklahoma City Thunder disposed of the Lakers in the Western Conference Semifinals last season. Despite bringing in Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to complement Metta World Peace, Pau Gasol, and Bryant, many remarked that Brown remained the weakest link in the Lakers’ system and that the team would never win a championship as long as he was at the coaching helm. He was a defensive-minded mentor who had no structured offensive playbooks. After all, when Brown coached the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2005-2010, his solitary offensive set involved isolation clearouts for LeBron James. Brown made the costly mistake of selecting Eddie Jordan as the team’s offensive coordinator. Their installation of the Princeton offense was met with raised eyebrows. There were two glaring oversights Brown and Jordan made - the Princeton works best on a team without a dominant post presence and it demands Bryant drastically reduce his shot attempts. The preseason served as a harbinger for Brown’s performance. As much as the games were inconsequential, losing breeds losing. A 0-8 preseason record stirred murmurs of concern. Loyal Lakers fans were quick to dismiss the critics, voicing out that an adjustment period was needed. After all, Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra himself was on the receiving end of forced resignation rumors when the team started out 9-8 two seasons ago. However, I believe that the Lakers were wise in pulling the plug on Brown’s coaching gig sooner, rather than later. Brown’s calling card was supposed to be all about shrinking the floor with his patented defensive system. However, in an attempt to silence his critics, he overcompensated by adapting offensive schemes that took away his focus from his specialty. As a result, the Lakers have looked completely lost on the defensive end, leaving their opponents wide open on so many easy looks. A starting five that boasts of two former Defensive Player of the Year awardees and a multiple All-Defensive Team member have no excuses. There is no alibi for losing to a Mavericks squad missing the services of Dirk Nowitzki. For letting Damian Lillard go berserk in his rookie debut. For being bullied around by their baby brother Clippers at Staples Center. For allowing Mo Williams and Randy Foye to torch them in Salt Lake City. Even as they hushed the Detroit Pistons, the Lakers were giving up 98.8 points despite playing the fourth-slowest pace, because they came in 22nd in defensive efficiency. Since Howard and Nash were hobbling, somebody else had to be the scapegoat. Another concern while watching these Lakers was that Bryant was shooting 56% during that five-game stretch. I would be hard-pressed to recall any other point in his career when he shot as efficiently and here he is, watching the Lakers stumble one game after another despite delivering one virtuoso performance after another. If the Lakers retained Brown’s services, how would they have been able to cope if Bryant had a subpar shooting night? Many said that Brown’s coup de grace came when Bryant gave him the death stare on the bench as they headed towards another loss against Utah. It actually came much earlier, when Brown compromised the defensive identity he thrives upon to accommodate an unfamiliar scheme that undermined his players’ ability, ultimately causing internal discord and loss of trust. Championships are won in June, not in November. But the journey to the title has to begin somewhere, and Brown has been pressing all the wrong buttons. That left the Lakers management with no other recourse but to press the one button that remained - the panic button. - AMD, GMA News Favian Pua currently works as a sports analyst for Kambi Philippines. He also maintains a sports blog, All-Time Fave. You can e-mail him at favianpua@yahoo.com and follow him on Twitter.