Attention New Lakers Coach

Prior to the firing of Mike Brown as the Lakers head coach, I had diagnosed many of the reasons why Brown wasn't getting the job done and why his coaching might not improve. Little did I know that the Lakers  brass was would quickly give him his walking papers.

I know, I know. It could have been too soon and a knee jerk reaction to a bad start. I know that the gelling process would need more time with the new cast of stars. The injury to Nash could have been the worst stroke of bad luck at the worse time after an 0 - 8 preseason. But, there were some ugly trends on the floor that could not be ignored on both sides of the court. It was apparent to me the Brown's shortcomings came down to strength and weakness analysis that made him incapable of adapting.

The easy trap to fall into is feeling blessed with all of the All Star talent that the Lakers possess. So the strengths are pretty much obvious on the offensive potential. You would even think that it would be a cinch with Howard in the middle and a coach known for his defensive acumen to be solid on defense. But, on the defensive end, Brown did not consider the shortcomings of his players.

Brown from my observation is a man to man stickler. There are many coaches out there that don't consider any other defense besides man to man. With younger, quicker, and more athletic players, that sole strategy might serve you well. But what happens when a key part of your perimeter defense is unable to adequately defend guards like C. Paul, R Westbrook, T Parker. G Dragic and many others? In short, too few coaches don't integrate zone defense or other help defensive strategies to help their over-matched players. Do you think that the Mavs would have beaten the Heat without blending in some zone defense against that more athletically gifted team? It's well known how Carlisle's use of zone defense had perplexed the Heat at times. Scott Brooks' value as a coach went down for me last year as he did not bother to try to throw in some zone. Didn't he see any tape from the Mavs series from the previous year?

Penetration, and especially dribble penetration is the first thing the breaks down a defense. Why would you leave challenged defenders like Steve Nash or Steve Blake on an island against quicker players? This situation gets worse against screen and rolls where the help defender doesn't defend it right. If Brown had done some weakness analysis, he would have known that his team's  perimeter defense is a weakness and is being targeted by opponents. This highlights Brown's lack of adjustments and unwillingness to play the chess match. Unwillingness to play chess in the coaching profession often leads to disappointments and unemployment.

Offensively, I understand Brown's desires to incorporate the Princeton offense. But while it is obvious that the team hasn't fully grasped the offense, why not try to be more opportunistic with fast breaks to get easy baskets? Brown was stuck in last year's mentality of solely being a half court team. With the likes of the slow footed Bynum and Fisher, pushing the ball was less of an option. If Brown had bothered to do some strength analysis, he would have opted to push the ball more with Nash and Howard. Don't let Nash's age fool ya. He can still be highly effective on the fast break. Other intangibles that come along with fast break points include energy for the team and fans with the conversion of layups and dunks. Solely walking the ball up and getting into a confusing half court offense that generates a lot of turnovers is a low energy passive approach. This is doubly important when it comes to the Lakers anemic  bench so far. Let those guys loose on the break and get them some easy baskets.

So to the next Lakers coach, please keep these tidbits in mind:

1. The point guard rotation is not full of solid defenders where opponents often attack your perimeter defense. Mixing in occasional zone will reduce penetration the compromises the team defense. An added perk includes keeping legs (especially those older ones) fresher since chasing players around the floor is not required.

2. Push the ball and get the fast break points as you are better tooled to push the ball. It's well know that shots start dropping easier once players see the ball go through the basket that can help their perimeter shots go down.

3. Encourage the 2nd unit more to push the ball as their half court execution might not be as effective as the 1st unit's.

4. Play the chess game especially against stronger competition with stellar coaches.

Don't Do it Kobe

Should Kobe play overseas during any extended lockout by the NBA owners. Absolutely not! I understanding the reasoning behind it, but I don’t think that any of those reasons support the Lakers cause of pursuing a championship during the next NBA season.

Time off during the lockout would benefit all of the Lakers who have been to three NBA finals the previous years. In Kobe’s case, his knee could get stronger and he could avoid the wear and tear that comes with playing professional league basketball. There is also the risk of injury to a player that is playing with an arthritic finger in his shooting hand. If the season gets cancelled, there would be ample time to get surgery on that finger and be back in time for the season opener without any missed games. Let’s not forget that taking this much needed rest could extend his basketball career another year. For a player who rarely practiced with his team during the NBA season due to knee issues, there are a bunch of pros associated with rest, but a lot of cons associated with playing overseas.

We all get that Kobe is a basketball player to the core. We all understand that this could be a leverage ploy with other top NBA players to force the NBA owners’ hands during the lockout. We all get that this could add to your international appeal and marketability which is tops amongst NBA players. We all get that you could make more money that you most likely don’t need. But do all of these things mean more than winning another championship or two? Kobe’s NBA legacy is already cemented with his past successes, but the opportunity to add to that legacy is still out there and it shouldn’t be foolishly tampered with.

Believe it or not, Kobe is in pursuit of a legacy. His legacy is already amongst the all time best that have ever laced up a pair of basketball shoes. He actually dares to grow his legacy to be considered the all time best with Jordan and anyone else in that lofty stratosphere. How else do you explain his continuous thirst for more rings even though he already has five of them? Getting six like Jordan would be nice. Getting one or more than Jordan would be perfect. But championships aren’t easy. Kobe is a vital part to the hopes of the Lakers organization catching and possibly exceeding the Celtics for the most championships for an organization.

We as fans love seeing legacies blossom and reach a height that so few if any can ever reach. Other than Kobe, today’s generation of players offers little chance to see something like this which includes Lebron James. So take my advice Kobe. Playing for a team in Turkey or any other overseas organization just is not worth what your legacy could become. 

Shame on the NBA Players Union

The eternal struggle between management and workers that are represented by unions is rearing its ugly head in two beloved american sports. Whether in sports or other businesses, it is important to reach agreements that are balanced where both sides get their fair share. Recent history has shown us the repercussions of lopsided agreements that hugely favor either side. The UAW (United Auto Workers) comes to mind as they had a sweet employee package that hindered the american auto companies that they worked for. Prior to these auto companies getting a government bailout, it was required for the UAW to give concessions in their deal with the auto industry bosses.

So why do bring up the UAW? Because I see the same thing happening with the NBA Players Union and the NBA Owners. For the record, I'm siding with the owners here. They have a solid argument for wanting a new CBA where they can turn a profit. Capitalism (Or any other economic system) doesn't work if organizations generate a net loss annually. With 22 teams losing money, and the league losing over a combined $1 Billion since the inception of this current CBA, how could the NBA players union make a case that current system is fair and working for both parties?

Don't get me wrong, I'm fine with players trying to get everything that they can. But, for the whole system to work, the right attitude needs to be there. There are two ways to get the most for players.

1. Get everything you can.
2. Get everything that you can without a negative impact on your organization.

The NBA players are showing that they are only interested in option #1. The owners justifiably need  the players to take option #2. Athletes love pushing their perceived value to get biggest contract dollars that they can get. While these are phenomenal players that are worth multi-millions, what good does it do when you're a large contributor to your organization's losses? Actual value is based on many factors with the keys ones being the market, the economy, and the organization's financial statements. It seems to me like the players choose to ignore this country's economy over the past five years and the negative financial statements of most of the NBA teams.

How much more can the NBAPA ignore to hold onto their lions share of the revenues. So far they've ignored:

• The sale of teams - Within the past three years, there is new ownership for the Warriors, Bobcats, Hornets and the Pistons soon. The fact the at the NBA league owns the Hornets with no foreseeable buyers is embarrassing. Owners don't bail on profitable businesses. The new ownership is betting that things will drastically change in the CBA to justify their purchases
• Over $1 Billion in losses - Doing the math since the latest CBA agreement, the owners have lost over $350 Million annually since 2005.

Under the type of dire circumstances that the NBA owners have endured, most business would have had layoffs, filed for bankrupcy, or just completely closed up shop. The NBAPA president Derek Fisher recently made a comment suggesting that its not the players responsibility for the teams to generate a net profit. Wow, if this is the NBAPA president's mentality, then this just further clarifies the unions attitude about not caring about the organizations that they work for. The players are not giving the owners any incentive to avoid a lockout unless they're willing to agree to terms where good profits can be made.

I don't want to see any games missed, but I'm fine with missed games if it is necessary to reach a deal that makes sense to these NBA organizations. Too much has gone wrong economically in this country for the past five years to see sporting organizations suffer too. Obviously the players think that they are above the organizations that they work for. Should the owners and we as fans let them get away with it?