Mike Brown is out after just one year as coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The only question is, who fired him?
Brown’s firing was announced in a joint news release that also announced that David Griffin – who replaced fired GM Chris Grant in midseason – would have the interim tag removed from his title and become the general manager.
But when it came to Brown’s ouster, the first quote was attributed to owner Dan Gilbert, who is learning that life after LeBron James just keeps getting worse.
“This is a very tough business,” said Gilbert, who now has fired Brown twice. “It pains all of us here that we needed to make the difficult decision of releasing Mike Brown. Mike worked hard over this last season to move our team in the right direction. Although, there was some progress from our finish over the few prior seasons, we believe we need to head in a different direction. We wish Mike and his family nothing but the best.”
There was also a quote from Griffin regarding Brown’s departure, extolling the coach’s work ethic and character and yada yada yada.
So it could have been Gilbert’s unilateral decision, which indirectly allows Griffin to pick his own guy. Or it could have been Griffin’s decision, strongly supported by Gilbert. Or it could be both men decided not to tick off All-Star guard Kyrie Irving, who holds the keys to Cleveland’s future.
The Cavaliers have two extra first-round picks in 2015 and hold team options this summer on Anderson Varejao ($9.7 million) and Alonzo Gee ($3 million). They could have up to $30 million in cap room, depending upon how they approach free agents Luol Deng, Spencer Hawes and C.J. Miles.
Griffin has a lot of assets and financial flexibility, but none of it means much without Irving, who makes Cleveland a much more attractive destination for free agents. He can receive a contract extension in October and likely will be offered a max deal, even though his play through three seasons – no playoff berths, 49 games missed due to injury – hasn’t warranted it.
Ironically, Irving said he wanted Brown to return as coach at the end of the season, although that could have been smoke-blowing. So did Dion Waiters, with whom Irving is said to have clashed with during the season. But others, such as Deng, Tristan Thompson and Jarrett Jack, weren’t so effusive.
The bottom line is this: Since James left, the Cavs have played no playoff games and James has played in three Finals, winning two rings. And Gilbert can’t let another star get away.
So who might Griffin tab to replace Brown as coach of the Cavs? Although some blanks need to be filled in, this story suggests it may be Kevin Ollie, who just guided UConn to the national championship and once played for Cleveland (and 11 other teams).
Brown’s first stint with Cleveland lasted five years and included a trip to the Finals, two 60-win seasons and a Coach of the Year. Coaching James certainly has its perks.
Since then, he spent one-plus seasons with the Lakers and just one with the Cavs again. He has four years and $16 million still coming to him from Gilbert.
Brown’s firing gives the NBA seven coaching vacancies – Cleveland, New York, the LA Lakers, Detroit, Utah, Golden State and Minnesota.
How many times does Dan Gilbert have to prove himself to be a national sports joke before people nationally finally treat him as a national sports joke? After nine years of NBA franchise ownership, he still conducts himself like it’s his first day on the job.