SB Nation Houston Editor's Pick

A Case for Mike Brown

by lucnguye92 on Apr 20, 2011 12:59 AM CDT

I've been reading a lot of comments and posts about how it will suddenly be the apocalypse if we decide to hire Mike Brown as our head coach. I mean sure, his success seems to be credited with the amazing play of Lebron James, but surely the play of one player can't measure the entirety of a team as a whole. Even if the player did contribute 80% of the wins, the other plays had to do something.

Might I add, for those Buldenholzer supporters, that Mike Brown learned his game under Greg Poppovich, and is widely regarded as a defensive specialist.

The Cleveland Cavaliers defensive rating for 05-06 was 105.4, good enough for 14th in the Eastern Conference. The next season, 06-07 their defensive rating increased to 101.3, which landed them 4th. They took a dip the next season, landing 11th, then jumping back up to 3rd, then his final year coaching them, they dropped to 7th. I don't give a damn what anyone says, but Lebron James, standing on that court does not contribute to all of that defensive intensity. Mike Brown made a difference, and a damn good difference it was considering it was his first stint as a head coach.

He ran with the Spurs for 3 years, giving him considerable time to understand their defensive scheme, he then went off to the Pacers, and helped them to a Eastern Conference Finals, his record as an assistant coach was 341-201 (.629). I don't understand why he is receiving so much hate, maybe for receiving a team with a Golden Child that was spoiled rotten. I for one believe that, if he comes to Houston, I won't mind at all.

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After some thought

I wouldnt be too opposed to him being here. Look how the Cavs have fallen off since both Lebron and him left. That team couldnt have fallen off THAT much with out Lebron. And if all else fails then we get a chance at a top 5 pick in the draft and go from there. Im not expecting anything from this team next year other than setting a foundation.

"Stability is a factor in teams that win the championship. But if you stabilize on a team that's going to end up short of that, then all you're doing is spinning your wheels in the 45-win range."-----Daryl Morey

by fanoflosingteams on Apr 20, 2011 1:42 AM CDT reply actions

Exactly

He isn’t that bad.

by lucnguye92 on Apr 20, 2011 2:08 AM CDT up reply actions

He isn't the worst candidate I've seen mentioned.

Hiring Dunleavy would make me quit the Rockets.

Minnesotan Rockets fan

by Barragan on Apr 20, 2011 5:02 AM CDT reply actions

Mike Brown is getting flack for coaching Lebron

That is just stupid. The manhad to have done something right to have back to back 60 win seasons and help to develop Lebron. Don’t short change the man.

Me against the world is a mismatch in my favor.

by batman713 on Apr 20, 2011 10:40 AM CDT reply actions

For all we know, LeBron could have been stuck tweeting "#wordaapp" on the CLE bench.

click here for: nba playoffs 2010-11 predictions

by sohum on Apr 20, 2011 11:20 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs

I guess I could put Brown over Woodson and any old coach not named SVG.

"Hakeem couldn't kick your ass cuz you were too
close kissin his!"- Sir Charles to Kenny Smith.

by bone31crusher on Apr 20, 2011 2:26 PM CDT reply actions

If Mike Brown could read that...

He would be proud. Lol

by lucnguye92 on Apr 20, 2011 9:39 PM CDT up reply actions

I hate this fanpost...

because it softened my hatred for Brown.

TDS's resident dickhead.

by BD34 on Apr 21, 2011 8:27 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs

+1

by AlDe2356 on Apr 21, 2011 10:08 AM CDT up reply actions

That means...

I’m doing something right. :D

by lucnguye92 on Apr 21, 2011 12:39 PM CDT up reply actions

Mike Brown??

I would rather have Van Dyke Brown as the coach than Mike Brown. OK, just an old “Joy of Painting” joke there.
I think he is a great coach, and I do understand that his value gets discounted because of the greatness of Lebron James.
My main problem with Mike Brown (and it’s probably due to lack of experience) is his playoff adjustments. For example, I blame HIM for Cle losing to Orlando a couple of years ago. (If you listen to Lebron’s courtside interview comments during the series – backed up by what we saw on the court) His philosophy was to double & triple Howard and “hope Orlando doesn’t make 3’s”. He failed to recognize that he was playing right into their strengths (shooting 33% from 3 is just as good as shooting 50% from 2), and that Howard’s offensive game alone was not nearly good enough to carry his team to victory. As a defensive coach, he should have recognized this and made the adjustment, but he never did. There are other examples, but this post is tooooooo long. (If we continue to run the Aldeman offense) I have no doubt he could get us to the playoffs, but am just concerned about some of his decision making when it’s all on the line.

by Nowujalo Meekah on Apr 21, 2011 7:21 PM CDT reply actions

Dwight Howard...

Willed his team to victory. Their 1st victory, he had 30 points, 13 rebounds, while their team was 9-20 from the 3. 2nd victory, had 24 points, and 9 rebounds, while the team shot 6-17. 3rd victory, Howard had 27 points, 14 rebounds, while the team shot 17-38. The last victory, Howard had 40 points, and 14 rebounds, while the team shot 12-29 from the 3. Are you seriously telling me that he’s not good enough to carry his team to victory?

If I was a head coach, and I was in that position, I would do what ever it takes to stop their star player from taking ahead of the post.

Now, lets look at the Lakers vs Magic series. Their 1st lost, Howard had only 12 points and 15 rebounds, while his team shot 8-23 from the 3, good enough for 34.3%. 2nd lost, Howard only had 17 points, and 16 rebounds, while the team shot 10-30 from the 3, which is 33%. The 3rd lost, Howard scored 16 points, with 21 rebounds, while the team, shot 7-21, exactly 33%. The last and final lost, Howard had 11 points, and 10 rebounds while the team shot 8-27. Barely under the 33% margin.

Notice the difference? Stop Howard, win the game. The funny thing is, the only game they did win, Howard had scored 21 points, while the team shot 5-14 from the 3. So, exactly how did Mike Brown, play to their strengths, when his overall goal, was to try and stop Dwight Howard, from having his way?

by lucnguye92 on Apr 21, 2011 9:23 PM CDT up reply actions

Thank You

Actually, by providing those statistics, you helped to validate my point. We all know that Howard is a great player, but let’s not forget that 2 years ago his game was mostly layups & dunks. If you stay w/ the shooters and keep him from getting to the rim, he cannot harm you ENOUGH to beat you 4 out of 7. If he gets by you, foul him since he is a Shaqesque free throw shooter. Most importantly though, stay with the shooters!
Gm 1 9-20 (45.0%) on mostly WIDE OPEN 3’s while Howard goes 2-2 from the line? LOSS
Gm 2 10-23 (43.5%) on mostly WIDE OPEN 3’s was a loss, but won on LBJ’s miracle shot
Gm 3 12-29 (41.4%) on mostly WIDE OPEN 3’s was a LOSS.
Gm 4 17-38 (44.7%) on mostly WIDE OPEN 3’s was a LOSS.
Gm 5 8-25 (32.0%) on mostly WIDE OPEN 3’s was a WIN
Gm 6 12-29 (41.4%) on mostly WIDE OPEN 3’s was a LOSS.

Notice that the KEYS (regardless of what Howard did) were 3pt % & attempts. If shooting 33% from 3 is just as good as shooting 50% from 2, then over 40% from 3 in 5 out of 6 games equates to over 60%-70% on 2’s. Amazing. When you account for the ridiculous # of attempts at that high percentage it equates to a let’s say “misguided” philosophy against a team of 3 point specialists.

Compare these 3 pt ’s with your LA numbers above which are ALL under 35.

Winning philosophy for 2009 against Orlando: Single cover Howard and stay with the 3 point shooters!!

by Nowujalo Meekah on Apr 22, 2011 2:09 PM CDT up reply actions

Your welcome

But you fail to actually see my point here. Dwight Howard, no matter how basic his game was, proved to be a fundamental problem against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They didn’t have someone big enough to bother Howard. I provided those stats to show that he was scoring nearly 30-40% of their points, and almost all of their rebounds to win the game.

All their losses were by an average 1-10 points. Those points, easily could have been negated, had Mike Brown’s strategy to cover D.Howard, or have a defensive stopper in the paint. If that had happen, the 3 point shooting wouldn’t have made a difference.

Also, I gave you those statistics, to satisfy your condition of the 33% rule that equates 50% shooting from the 2. You continue to point that out, and I accept that while 3-point shooting is a major contribution to victory, you have failed to address D.Howard’s ability to provide the majority of the points in those games.

You say, “stay with the shooters and keep him from getting to the rim.” And how exactly are you suppose to stop one of the strongest and most athletic centers in the game? Especially if you address your lack of defense in the post, and acknowledge your holes in the paint, you would increase your chances to try and stop that player by doubling, instead of leaving it to man-to-man defense, where they’ll kill you regardless because he’ll just have his way in the post.

Also, your philosophy of hack-a-shaq, while may seem pretty efficient, has several flaws. The first being, that you risk the chance of fouling out a key player. Also, what happens if your defense in the post fouls out? What will you have now to stop the juggernaut in the paint? Also, by fouling you stop the clock, disrupt your flow of offense, allow them to set up their defense, and give them free points if they make it.

Also, lets bring up the numbers shall we?
1st game: D12 shot 2-2 from the charity stripe. 1 point loss.
2nd game: 14-19 from the stripe, good for 74%. 10 point loss.
3rd game: 7-9, 78%. 2 point loss.
4th game: 12-16, 75%. 13 point loss.
Those four games, contributed to four victories, which he shot a combined average of 81%.

by lucnguye92 on Apr 22, 2011 5:46 PM CDT up reply actions

Did you really bring up his record as an assistant coach?

Here’s my thing with him. His team has quit on him in 2 post seasons. I don’t care who you’re trying to coach or manage, the Cavs quit. It wasn’t just LeBron. “But he’s a defensive specialist, and coached under Greg Popovich.” So what. Ever heard of Charlie Weiz and Romeo Crennel. Just because they coahed under a legendary coach they ara automatically going to be awesome right? Where are those guys now? Not where they were 3 years ago when everyone thought they were hot shit. Some coaches are just born assistants and coordinators. Just like Kubiak. You bring up his record as an assistant? That’s like holding the clip board for Popovich to draw up a last second play.

Funny how Memphis' ****-up has become Houston's obsession

by jake_471 on Apr 21, 2011 9:45 PM CDT reply actions

What's wrong with that?

A statistic is a number, a fact, a proven amount of data to a certain extent. So he may or may not have been at the herald when those games were won, but I can guarantee that he contributed in some way. If you are going to argue against that notion, then you might as well argue against a player’s record when he was on the bench.

I never once said that he was going to be an AWESOME coach. I was just tired of the stupid prejudice against Mike Brown, that if we were to hire him, the Rockets were going to collapse. I stated that he played under Gregg Poppovich, because members of this forum were interested in Buldenholzer, because Les Alexander wants to find the next Gregg Popovich, well I can tell you, if you are under someone for three years, you have to have at the least, learned and gained something from them.

We will not better ourselves if we give into ignorance and decide hate what we cannot come to accept. I believe that the only reason why people give Mike Brown, so much crap, is because of what they perceive to be, his short comings when he was coaching a team with a selfish talented All-Star, surrounded by players that were below-average. Even with that, he was able to guide the team to back to back 60 win seasons. I’ll give you the benefit of a doubt, that LBJ scored at least half the points every game, but what about the other half?

Also, while you seem to attack the fact of his assistant coach record, you fail to address anything about his ability to shape the Cleveland Cavaliers defensive rating into the top 10. If that doesn’t indicate anything about his ability to coach defense, then I don’t know what will convince you.

All I’m saying is, Mike Brown is the Rebecca Black of music, nor is he the Michael Jordan of the NBA. He’s somewhere in between, and I’ll be satisfied if we gave him an interview.

by lucnguye92 on Apr 21, 2011 10:14 PM CDT up reply actions

Not*

by lucnguye92 on Apr 21, 2011 10:17 PM CDT up reply actions

We see the "assistant" coach differently

But what attributed his team to “quiting” on him in 2 postseasons?

Funny how Memphis' ****-up has become Houston's obsession

by jake_471 on Apr 21, 2011 10:34 PM CDT up reply actions

When the centerpiece of your team decides to mail it in because he's not going to stick around anyway

it’s easy for the rest of the team to cave in. If the horse you rode there is ready to die it’s highly unlikely that everyone that depended on it will get to ride it very far.

TDS's resident dickhead.

by BD34 on Apr 21, 2011 10:41 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs

You beat me to the post-button.

by lucnguye92 on Apr 21, 2011 10:42 PM CDT up reply actions

People are hating on Brown for the same reasons they love Tom Thibadeau

It is damn near the exact same thing. Thibbs was a hot assistant from coach Pop as was Brown. Thibbs went to a team with one of the most phenomenal youngsters in the game as did Brown. Thibbs has led his team to the top record in the league as did Brown. See the similarities?

Since we know that things never ever change then this means in a few year Rose will turn into a diva and head to Miami (God forbid)! Then Thibbs will get fired and be hated for no reason!

Me against the world is a mismatch in my favor.

by batman713 on Apr 21, 2011 11:25 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs

Nice comparison

by lucnguye92 on Apr 21, 2011 11:27 PM CDT up reply actions

Rec'd

I agree with this point. I would also like to add that I believe Thibbs to be a great coach and am critical of Brown. I would further like to add that I haven’t formulated a good explanation of why that is.

Seriously, most of Brown’s criticisms come with his performance in competitive playoff series. I don’t know if they are justified, but I do believe that there is a similarity in JVG/Thibs and Mike Brown’s approach to the game.

"The French Army: Better defender than David Lee" - JE Skeets, in response to David Lee getting a vote for Defensive Player of the Year.

by flipasta on Apr 23, 2011 4:09 PM CDT up reply actions

Mike Brown was more loose with his offense than Thibbs and Van Dumby

Me against the world is a mismatch in my favor.

by batman713 on Apr 23, 2011 4:14 PM CDT up reply actions

It doesn't matter who's on your roster

any time a player or team quits on you, you’re not doing your job. Do you think they would quit on Phil Jackson, Jeff van Gundy, Pop? LeBron was the coach, the players followed him. Mike Brown’s inability to command properly led to their unduing. A good coach does not let that happen.

Funny how Memphis' ****-up has become Houston's obsession

by jake_471 on Apr 22, 2011 7:13 AM CDT reply actions

reply fail

Me against the world is a mismatch in my favor.

by batman713 on Apr 22, 2011 8:57 AM CDT up reply actions

Ignoring that Lebron was I would argue a fairly special case

And the conclusion is that no one is claiming that Mike Brown is at the level of Phil. And T-Mac DID quit on Rick.

I would prefer not to hire Brown. I wouldn’t go absolutely nuts if we did like we would with some other choices ( Dunleavy or the Butler dude), as I think he’s a generally acceptable level.

Minnesotan Rockets fan

by Barragan on Apr 22, 2011 2:15 PM CDT up reply actions