Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
Kobe Bryant with Mike Brown during Game 7 of the Western Conference finals last season.
By HOWARD BECK
Published: November 9, 2012
Mike Brown was fired by the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday in the wake of a 1-4 start with the N.B.A.’s glitziest lineup. Potential replacements include Mike D’Antoni, Jerry Sloan, Brian Shaw and Nate McMillan.
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The firing, which was first reported by USA Today, was confirmed by the team in a news release.
Although the move was stunningly swift, it reflected the immense expectations in Los Angeles after a transformational summer in which the Lakers acquired Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, creating one of the most talented lineups in history.
The Lakers have yet to play at full strength with that lineup, however. Kobe Bryant has been playing through a foot injury. Nash is out with a leg injury after playing just a game and a half. And Howard, although he is averaging 22.4 points and 9.6 rebounds, is still working his way back from off-season back surgery.
“I have great respect for the Buss family and the Lakers’ storied tradition and I thank them for the opportunity they afforded me,” Brown said in a statement. “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.”
Bernie Bickerstaff, an assistant coach, will coach the Lakers on Friday night against the Golden State Warriors, the Lakers said.
There is no shortage of qualified replacements on the market. D’Antoni is an obvious choice because of his success with Nash in Phoenix and his close relationship with Bryant. D’Antoni’s pick-and-roll-centered offense would be ideal for Nash and Howard.
But D’Antoni recently had knee-replacement surgery and needs several weeks to recover. It is unclear how that might impact his candidacy. D’Antoni, who resigned as the Knicks’ head coach in March, has also said that he prefers to sit out this season, to let his son graduate from high school before moving again.
Shaw was a key member of Phil Jackson’s staff in Los Angeles and was the choice of many players and fans after Jackson retired in 2011. Shaw was passed over by the organization in favor of Brown, who had previously coached the Cleveland Cavaliers. Shaw landed with the Indiana Pacers as the lead assistant under Coach Frank Vogel.
Sloan has not coached since resigning as the Utah Jazz’s head coach in February 2011. McMillan was fired by the Portland Trail Blazers last March. Like D’Antoni, McMillan has coached Bryant as part of the staff for the United States Olympic team.
There is always the chance, although it is remote, that the Lakers could again reach out to Jackson, who has parted ways with the franchise twice in the last eight years. Neither of his successors has lasted long: Rudy Tomjanovich resigned midway through his first season, in 2005, and Brown was fired after just 71 games.
An earlier version of this article misstated the number of games Mike Brown coached with the Lakers. It was 71, not 87.
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