Cleveland Sports Forum

Everything seems to be lining up to bring back Mike Brown. For those of you who know such things (or think you do) is he a good fit with this young team?

civ ollilavad wrote:Everything seems to be lining up to bring back Mike Brown. For those of you who know such things (or think you do) is he a good fit with this young team?

Meh.

Brown had me literally yelling at my TV in the playoff games he coached because of a complete inability and unwillingness to make fairly obvious adjustments both offensively and defensively. Not just in-game adjustments, but adjustments during a series when a team has shown you exactly how they're going to beat you. Brown would come out game after game with the team doing exactly what didn't work in the previous game. He seemed oblivious and locked in to a certain strategy, very bull-headed and dogmatic. It's like he refused to believe his original plan wouldn't work so he stuck with it regardless of the evidence out on the court. Or maybe he was just completely unable to conceive of a counter strategy and he was in some way helpless, IDK.

But in his favor, there were few coaches around who could have the level of success he had over the course of a long season. He knows how to design and teach team defense with less than perfect pieces out on the court. He knows how to mask a weak defensive player with his scheme. But when his basic defensive scheme was exposed in the playoffs he often times had no answer or counter-measures and that could be a problem.

I hate his offensive style, if he even has one. Hard to tell when there's LBJ and Kobe to run the offense through. I'd be worried that Kyrie would become the same kind of one-man "scheme". Just put the ball in his hands and sit back and watch. I'm not saying that should never be an option, just not every time down the court. I'd like to see a strong-minded coach enforcing that designed plays be run early in the shot clock, and if it falls apart Dion or Kyrie can always take things into their own hands. What I don't want to see is Isolation plays being the plan as soon as the ball crosses mid-court.

Maybe Brown has grown and learned a few things, maybe he hasn't. Word is LBJ still likes the guy but who knows, and it shouldn't matter.

I really have mixed feelings about him. I like the guy but I'd say in order for him to be the next coach he'd need to demonstrate in some way that he's grown and found ways to fix his problem areas. Maybe commit to handing the offensive side over to someone with proven skills in that area.

Dan Gilbert wants a hard worker, defensive guy, someone who wants to be in Cleveland, and someone who will kiss his ass (Gilberts) like all of his other employees.

In other words all of the things Byron Scott was not.

In order to say yes to Brown you would have to know what other coaches are available or want the job. I like Mike Malone but Brown would be OK.

Cavs, Mike Brown negotiating deal

Updated: April 23, 2013, 4:02 PM ET
By Chris Broussard and Brian Windhorst | ESPN.com


According to sources, Mike Brown and the Cleveland Cavaliers are currently negotiating a contract that will make him the team's coach for the second time.

If they can agree to a contract, Brown will return to the job the Cavs fired him from in 2010 despite back-to-back 60-win seasons. He was the Cavs' top choice for the job and the only person they interviewed, though they did reach out to gauge Phil Jackson's possible interest.

The Cavs are expected to offer him a long-term contract that will give him security as he will try to lead them back to the playoffs after three straight seasons in the lottery. Brown led the Cavs to five consecutive playoff appearances from 2005-11.

Brown met with Cavs owner Dan Gilbert and general manager Chris Grant over the weekend in Detroit.

A major factor in Brown's decision to accept the job is that his family had planned to move back to Cleveland this summer after he was fired as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this season. Brown also has a strong and long-standing relationship with Grant.

The Cavs wanted to move fast to secure Brown. Sources told ESPN.com that Brown had already turned down the Phoenix Suns' coaching position and could've become a candidate for other jobs in the coming days.

Sources say Brown views the Cavs' position as one of the top jobs available, or potentially available, because of All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving and the club's substantial amount of salary-cap space.

Cavaliers set to hire Mike Brown as coach
By Jason Lloyd
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published: April 23, 2013 - 03:16 PM | Updated: April 23, 2013 - 03:22 PM

Mike Brown and the Cavaliers have reached a handshake agreement on a new deal, a league source told the Akron Beacon Journal on Tuesday. An official announcement should be made Wednesday.

The source spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the negotiations.

Brown is the Cavs’ most successful coach in team history and his .653 winning percentage ranks sixth all-time (minimum 450 games) among coaches. His hiring marks a fascinating return to the organization that fired him just three years ago in a futile attempt to keep LeBron James in Cleveland.

Brown is 314-167 in parts of seven seasons and his team has reached the playoffs and won in the first round in each of his six full seasons. Brown was fired five games into this season by the Los Angeles Lakers, but returns to a Cavs team that has spent the last three years rebuilding under Byron Scott, who was fired last week after compiling a 64-166 record in three years.

Brown immediately emerged as the leading candidate shortly after General Manager Chris Grant described the Cavs’ next coach as defensive minded and a grinder. Brown’s defensive schemes took the Cavs to the NBA Finals in 2007 and, partnered with James, the organization enjoyed its most successful stretch of basketball.

Brown’s lack of creativity on offense has been an ongoing concern, but his teams typically rank among the best in the league defensively. Grant and owner Dan Gilbert have been unhappy with the progress the Cavs have made defensively since Brown was fired.

Brown met in Detroit with Gilbert and Grant on Sunday and negotiations quickly escalated. The Cavs intended to move quickly on a replacement all along, according to sources, because so many coaching vacancies are expected this summer.

ESPN.com reported the Phoenix Suns reached out to Brown to gauge his interest and CBS Sports identified Brown as a top candidate for the Philadelphia 76ers’ vacancy.

Provided the remaining few details can be worked out, it appears Brown is off the market — and the Cavs’ new coach is also their old one.

Brian Windhorst ‏@WindhorstESPN 1h

LeBron James is donating $1 million to his high school, St. Vincent-St. Mary in Ohio, to renovate its gym.

Haven't been following too closely but it sure was nice to hear the Bulls beat Miami in game one.

Heat paid them back tonight, though!

Really lazy question. Didn't the CAV'S make a deal with the Grizzlies that everyone said we robbed them blind? Very strange.

Cavs got 2 good role players and a first round pick from the Grizzlies. Grizzlies got a guy that could not play for the Cavs and does not play for the Grizzlies. Grizzlies got cap (salary, dollars ) relief.

If the Cleveland Cavaliers are lucky, this could be their last NBA Draft lottery for a while

Mary Schmitt Boyer, The Plain Dealer

on May 20, 2013 at 6:47 PM, updated May 20, 2013 at 6:55 PM


If the Cleveland Cavaliers are lucky, this could be their last NBA Draft lottery for a while

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Although it feels as if the NBA lottery is an annual event for the Cavaliers, it really isn't.

Yes, this will be the Cavs third straight appearance, but it's their 17th appearance overall since the current system was adopted in 1985, and that includes two chances in 1999 and two in 2011. They're tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves for the fourth -most appearances.

The Los Angeles Clippers have made 22 appearances in the lottery, followed by Golden State with 20 appearances and Sacramento with 18, including this year.

Not coincidentally, the Clippers have won the lottery three times, which ties them with the Orlando Magic for the most victories.

The Cavs, who won the lottery in 2003 and 2011, will be bidding to join them on Tuesday evening, when the 29th draft lottery will be held in ABC's Disney Times Square Studios in New York. It will be televised at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN, before Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals between San Antonio and Memphis.

For the third straight year, Nick Gilbert, son of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, will represent the team on stage, wearing his traditional bow tie. Nick Gilbert was the Cavs representative when the team won the lottery and the chance to draft Kyrie Irving in 2011, uttering the memorable phrase, "What's not to like?''

He was distraught last year when New Orleans vaulted from the No. 4 spot to win. Although the Cavs and Hornets each finished with 21-45 records in 2011-12, tied for the third-worst record in the league behind Charlotte and Washington, the Cavs had won a tiebreaker with the Hornets and had one more combination. It didn't help, and they wound up with the No. 4 pick in the draft, which they used to select Dion Waiters.

This year, the top prize in the lottery looks to be Kentucky power forward/center Nerlens Noel, even though he's coming off a torn ACL and likely won't be ready to play until Christmas. Most teams feel as though he will be worth the wait.

The No. 2 pick is projected to be Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore, with No. 3 likely to be Georgetown small forward Otto Porter Jr.

But a lot can happen between the lottery and the NBA draft of June 27.

Ideally, lottery teams will be looking to replicate the performance of the San Antonio Spurs and the Chicago Bulls. Those teams won the lottery in 1997 and 2008, respectively, and haven't been back since.

Jeff Cohen, the Cavs vice chairman who will be in the room for the actual lottery drawing for the third straight year, promised as much.

"Last time,'' he said, meaning the Cavs would be in the playoffs next year and not the lottery.

Lucky fans: Gerry Burma of Brecksville and Tate Moore of Wadsworth won a trip to the lottery with the Cavs. Burma won a random drawing for Cavs Wine & Gold United members, and Moore's 30-second Twitter video was judged the best of all entrants who took Dan Gilbert up on his challenge last week. To see Moore's video: http://youtu.be/tJZFUnBr0xY.

Cleveland native and hip hop artist Machine Gun Kelly will make the trip to New York as well, but Browns stars Bernie Kosar, Joe Haden and Josh Cribbs are not expected to take part this year.

Fact box

What: 2013 NBA lottery

When: 8:30 p.m. Tuesday

Where: ABC's Disney Times Square Studios in New York

TV: ESPN

Cavs odds: The Cavs, who finished with the third-worst record in the league, have a 15.6 percent chance of winning the No. 1 pick, a 15.74 chance of winning the No. 2 pick, a 15.58 chance of staying at No. 3, a 22.56 chance of dropping to No. 4, and a 22.48 chance of falling to No. 5. The worst they can draft is No. 6.

How it works: Representatives of each team and selected reporters, including Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer, will gather in a secured room before the televised lottery begins. At that point, 14 ping-pong balls numbered 1 through 14 are placed in a drum. There are 1,001 possible combinations when four balls are drawn, without regard to order. Prior to the lottery, each team is assigned a number of combinations based on the order of finish in the regular season. Orlando has 250 combinations. Charlotte has 119. The Cavs have 156 possible combinations. Four balls are drawn to the top to determine a four-digit combination. The team that has that combination wins the lottery and the No. 1 pick in the draft. The process is repeated for the No. 2 pick and the No. 3 pick. The rest of the teams will select in inverse order of finish.

Ho Hum. Cavs win another lottery.

Where is all the excitement?

J.R. wrote:Where is all the excitement?

The problem is that a team has to lose to have a chance at the lottery.


Cleveland lost, in this instance.


Worse is, the "likely Number One lottery selection" is coming off ACL surgery.

Most worse is that no one cares, as apparently evidenced here tonight.

Kentucky coach John Calipari wants the Cleveland Cavaliers to draft Nerlens Noel No. 1

By Mary Schmitt Boyer, The Plain Dealer

on May 22, 2013 at 7:26 PM, updated May 23, 2013 at 1:06 AM


CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Kentucky coach John Calipari hopes the Cavaliers draft Wildcats center Nerlens Noel with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft on June 27.

It's not because it would be a feather in Calipari's cap. He had six players drafted off his roster last year, tying the record for one school, including No. 1 Anthony Davis and No. 2 Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the first time two players from the same school have been taken at the top of the draft. There were five first-round picks in 2010 and seven players who have been taken in the top five, including top picks Davis, John Wall and Derrick Rose.

The reason Calipari wants Noel to wind up in Cleveland has more to do with his respect for Cavs General Manager Chris Grant and his staff when it comes to their draft history.

"They haven't made mistakes,'' Calipari said in a telephone interview on Wednesday, one day after the Cavs won the lottery to earn the No. 1 pick for the second time in three years. "If they pick him, in all likelihood, history tells you something: It's not a mistake, which means it's good for my kid.

"Chris Grant has been in our building more than any other GM. That's no disrespect to any other GM. That's just a fact. He and his staff are very thorough in what they've done. That's why I say I hope he gets drafted by them.''

Calipari, who has been much more successful in college at Memphis and Kentucky than he was coaching the New Jersey Nets, goes through the litany of Grant's draft choices.

With the No. 1 pick in 2011, he took Duke point guard Kyrie Irving, even though injury limited him to just 11 college games. With the fourth pick, he took Tristan Thompson, which was seen as a reach at the time.

With the No. 4 pick last year, he drafted Dion Waiters, again bucking conventional wisdom.

"They were right,'' Calipari said of those picks. "So if they take my kid, history tells you they did the right thing, which means my kid's in good shape.

"My hope is they take Nerlens because they do their research and say, 'We need that shot blocker behind what we have. ... We know he's going to gain 40 pounds. We know the trajectory.' They know where he was at the beginning of the year and they know how much he improved because they were here. They saw it. I don't have to explain anything to Chris.''

Calipari even asked Grant's advice when Noel tore his ACL in February. Grant suggested Noel see doctors at the Cleveland Clinic or specialist Dr. James Andrews. Noel opted for Andrews, and his rehabilitation has been progressing well.

"It's not the same injury it used to be,'' Calipari said. "I don't think teams are looking at it like, 'Wow. He's done.' They they want to know his rehab schedule, his work ethic, what the doctors are saying. All that stuff is coming out pretty good (for Noel).''

Asked to compare Noel and Davis, Calipari said, ''They're just different. Anthony had more guard skills than Nerlens would have. Their shot blocking is about the same. Nerlens is more of a four/five, where Anthony could play some three. Nerlens could guard a three, but he's not going to play that position. Anthony, if he had to, could play the three.''

Another reason the coach would like to see Noel in Cleveland is that he thinks the Cavs are going to become an elite team in the not-too-distant future.

"Kyrie, in my opinion, will be the best point guard in the league in short order,'' Calipari said. "(The Cavs will be) one of the best six teams in the league, within four years, because of the youngness of their team and next year's draft. Within the next year or two, you're going to see them being one of those teams trying to win the whole thing.

"Smile. Enjoy. Don't sell your [season] tickets.''

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