The Cavaliers' sudden coaching change shocked the entire league.
Mike Brown has been the head coach of the Cavaliers since the 2005-2006 season and led the Cavaliers to successfully advance to the playoffs that season.
This is the first time the Cavaliers have entered the playoffs since 1998.
LeBron James is the highly anticipated No. 1 pick. In the first two years of his career, he failed to help the Cavaliers enter the playoffs.
At that time, the strength of the Eastern Conference was really not that good.
Mike Brown can do this quickly, which shows that he is capable and can quickly unite a team.
In the 2006-2007 season, in Mike Brown's second year as coach, the Cavaliers reached the finals!
This is a great honor for James and Brown.
James showed his potential as a superstar in the game against the Pistons.
This was only the fourth season of James' career, and he was only 22 years old that year.
Tim Duncan told James after the Finals that the future is yours.
As a result, until the 2012-2013 season, the era that truly belonged to James still had not arrived.
As the head coach, Mike Brown won the best coach, but at important moments in the playoffs, he really lacked the ability to determine the outcome with one move and strategize to win thousands of miles away.
It was understandable that they lost to the Spurs in the 2007 Finals. The Cavaliers' lineup was indeed too thin and lacked experience.
When Mike Brown faced his teacher Popovich, he had no choice but to lose 0:4.
Every game seems to be lost by a small margin, but in fact the Cavaliers have basically no chance of winning.
The point difference is small, and there is no chance at the last moment. Score a few goals to close the point difference.
It belongs to the fact that the child dies and the milk comes, and it has no real effect.
In 2011, they played the Dallas Mavericks and lost 2:4. Brown was completely at a disadvantage in the battle with Carlisle.
The strength of both sides is evenly matched, and before the game it was generally believed that the Cavaliers were superior.
Both sides are single-core teams. Nowitzki is 33 years old and has been called a softie for many years.
As a result, the Mavericks won the championship, and two of the games they won were reversals at the last moment.
This shows that Mike Brown, as the head coach, has great deficiencies in tactical arrangements and players' psychological stability.
Compared with top coach Phil Jackson, the gap is obvious.
Phil Jackson belongs to the group. Once he has the advantage on paper, he will not give any chance to his teammates.
When he was with the Chicago Bulls, as long as the Bulls had home court advantage, they would win the series.
In 1994, the Bulls did not have Jordan and were still third in the Eastern Conference in the regular season. They unfortunately lost in the tiebreaker 3:4 in the semifinals and lost to the New York Knicks who later reached the finals.
It is enough to show that Jackson is very good at coaching.
Of course, comparing Mike Brown to the best coaches in history like Jackson is a bit difficult for him.
But if LeBron James wants to become the best player in history and surpass Michael Jordan, then his coach can't be much worse than Jackson, right?
In the 2012 Finals, the Cavaliers still dominated public opinion before the game.
After they have Kyrie Irving, their overall strength is stronger than in 2011.
As a result, the 2:0 lead was reversed. The players have to bear the primary responsibility, but the coach cannot escape a secondary responsibility.
For four consecutive games, no appropriate adjustments and responses were provided, and Mike Brown cannot escape the blame.
It's just that Brown has a deep bond with James, and he always follows James' lead in the team.
If James doesn't want to change coaches, Mike Brown's position will be secure enough.
When James thinks about it, it's just a matter of words.
So, after a big battle with the Clippers, on the plane to the next game venue, James discussed with the team's general manager and said that he wanted to change a head coach.
Cavaliers general manager Chris Grant asked James if he had a favorite candidate. James said, you will know tomorrow.
Grant didn't hesitate much. After the plane landed, he met with Mike Brown at the hotel and announced that he would be relieved of his duties as head coach.
However, Mike Brown did not leave the Cavaliers because of this. Grant persuaded him to stay as the team's director of player development.
Because Mike Brown did not make any mistakes, firing him directly is not a wise choice.
Although the Cavaliers have an average record this season, they just won the Clippers and are moving in a good direction.
Changing his position is more reasonable than firing him.
Of course Mike Brown was very surprised at first, but he quickly accepted the decision of the management, or James.
He was sure that there must be James' support behind it, and it might even be his direct instruction.
James may not be the king of the NBA, but he is definitely the king of Cleveland.
Since 2010, he chose to renew his contract and stay with the Cavaliers, and the boss has been obedient to him and obeyed his words.
Generally speaking, if a team obeys one player too much in terms of management, drafting, and trading, the team will most likely become bad.
Because playing on the court and running and organizing a team are completely different things and two jobs.
In fact, the number of people who can do these two things well at the same time can be counted on one hand.
For example, when Michael Jordan was in the Bulls, he was often dissatisfied with some of the team's drafts and transactions. He didn't like this one and didn't want that one.
Facts have proved that if the Bulls management could not withstand the pressure and listen to Jordan, the team would be doomed.
Fortunately, in the past two seasons, James has given very good advice.
The Cavaliers have done a good job in trading, signing, and drafting, helping the team build a solid system.
For James, reaching the finals twice and not winning a championship is a failure.
But for the Cavaliers, the team's operating income and market value have been greatly increased, and the owner has begun to make money.
Moreover, the duo of Irving and James are both still young. With them, theoretically, the Cavaliers can maintain sufficient competitiveness for at least the next five years. This is really a dream for the Cavaliers, a bad team that has been around for thousands of years.
The premise is that no one leaves.
In this environment, it is normal for Mike Brown to kneel to the King.
He didn't have too many complaints in his heart, and he cooperated with the team management to announce the decision the next day.
On the day the Cavaliers announced that Mike Brown would step down as head coach, Steve Kerr also left the Clippers.
That night, the Cavaliers contacted Cole and convinced him to join the Cavaliers.
Cole got on a plane to Detroit early in the morning on December 3.
The Cavaliers will face the Pistons tonight at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The plane arrived at Detroit Airport at around 2 p.m., and Cavaliers general manager Grant personally greeted Cole.
To be honest, both Cole and Grant were quite confused, especially Cole.
The day before yesterday, I was against the Cavaliers. As the head coach, I carefully studied the Cavaliers' tactics and lineup, thinking about how to deal with the Cavaliers in the new season.
No matter how the Cavaliers perform at the start of the regular season, they will always be the Clippers' important imaginary enemy in the finals.
As a result, he is now the head coach of the Cavaliers and is forced to rebel and surrender to the enemy.
Of course Grant was confused, because letting Cole be the head coach was completely outside of his plan.
His original plan was to make some transactions in the middle of the season to strengthen the team's interior, especially the fourth position.
Jamison is aging rapidly and is no longer useful this year.
Robin Lopez can only say that it is enough, but the limit has reached its limit and cannot go further.
The Clippers also added No. 1 pick Anthony Davis like a beast.
In the No. 1 game, had Randolph not been injured and absent, and Davis suffered from foul problems, there would be a big question mark as to whether the Cavaliers could win.
There was no sign of the trade plan yet, and James directly hired the head coach.
Generally speaking, when the head coach suddenly dismisses, the team will ask the assistant coach to act for a period of time.
After that, depending on the situation, either the assistant coach will be strengthened, or the new head coach will be slowly found and recruited.
Finding a new head coach requires interviews, communication on tactics and planning, and then slowly taking over the team.
As for an enemy airborne soldier like Cole, this was the first time Grant had seen him in so many years of working in the NBA.
The two immediately drove to the Palace Arena of Auburn Hills, where the team conducted court acclimatization training at 3:30 p.m.
In the press conference room of the Palace Arena in Auburn Hills, Grant led Cole in a simple announcement ceremony.
After the ceremony, Cole immediately jumped into his role and trained with the players on the court at Auburn Hills.
Former head coach Mike Brown was with him to answer questions.
This situation is very strange, but the NBA says it is a battlefield, but it is actually a world.
Cole and Mike Brown are old acquaintances. When Cole was still playing for the Spurs, Mike Brown served as an assistant coach with the Spurs. The relationship between the two is quite good.
Therefore, although Cole suddenly replaced Brown, it did not affect their relationship.
After Brown said hello, he immediately asked curiously: "What's going on, buddy? Why don't you suddenly stop working for the Clippers? Did I offend you when you came to the Cavaliers to steal my job? You were the one who won last year."
Cole shook his head helplessly and said: "Actually, I also want to continue working with the Clippers, but...someone doesn't want me to do it."
"Didn't you resign on your own? Are you...are you that lunatic Smart?"
Mike Brown immediately guessed that Cole was fired by Min Congda.
And Min Congda is known throughout the league as a crazy guy who can do anything.
Firing an outstanding assistant coach like Cole is completely within the logic of his behavior.
Cole added: "Actually, it's my dream to be a head coach. But Mike, why were you fired too? So suddenly?"
The two of them had the same idea in mind, could it be Smart?
It's unlikely. Smart is the Clippers manager, not the Cavaliers manager.
And he's sick. Just change the Cavaliers coach and send him a Clippers coach?
Poverty alleviation through technology? Counterpart support? Friendly team?
Mike Brown said: "Maybe it's because the team's performance in the new season is not good. But you are here at the right time. You can share some secrets about the Clippers. Your rise is really fast. What happened to the team?"
Cole smiled and said: "Don't worry, I will tell you these secrets slowly. In fact, it is not a secret. Championship teams always have similarities. But the Clippers are indeed a very special team. Let’s talk about the team’s training, tactics, and tonight’s game.”
So, the two began to chat about all aspects of the Cavaliers.
In fact, Cole's understanding of the Cavaliers may not be much worse than that of Mike Brown.
Maybe even more and deeper than Mike Brown.
Because the person who understands you best is often your enemy.
As the Cavaliers' biggest enemy last season, Cole did a lot of research on the Cavaliers.
I was still researching three days ago, but now it’s better and the research can play a role.
During training, Cole briefly met with the players and introduced each other.
In fact, we all know each other, and everyone knows who our opponents in the finals are.
James and Cole shook hands vigorously. He was both excited and nervous about Cole's arrival.
What's exciting is that he believes in his adoptive father's vision and the people he chooses to send are all excellent.
The nervous question is, will Cole make any big changes to the team? Will it put him in a position he is not used to?
When James first entered the league, he played the point guard position in his first season.
He has excellent organizational and passing abilities.
However, in order to take advantage of his superior quick play ability, James' position was gradually fixed at the third position.
But Cole, including Min Congda, all believe that the third position is not actually the most suitable position for James.
Because the third position plays a bonding and panacea role in defense and offense.
Especially now, when positions are blurred, inside players are outside, and players' functions are becoming more comprehensive, the all-round responsibility of the third position has become even more important.
But as James is the team's ball-handling core and the most important offensive endpoint, he certainly cannot allocate enough physical fitness and energy in terms of defense, rebounding, garbage work, etc.
Therefore, the team equipped him with players such as Battier, Miller, and Danny Green to supplement these functions.
If Min Congda comes to coach, he has said before when talking to James that he will let James further lose weight to play the one position, and then find a way to match James with a good fourth position.
James said at that time, "You should think of a way."
"I've been thinking about it the whole time!"
As a result, after thinking about it, the excellent No. 4 position didn't come, and Steve Kerr came instead.
And Steve Kerr's solution to the excellent fourth position is simple-come on, James.
If James plays four, Grant doesn't have to look for any good insiders in the market. Lopez and Anderson are enough.
However, James is not willing to play the fourth position.
Because I was too tired playing inside and had to do a lot of work, the data didn't show up at all.
You work hard in the paint to block the opponent's paint, and then create a good rebound opportunity for your teammates.
Then there is nothing on the Excel sheet. What’s the point?
Therefore, after training, when Cole approached James to talk about the arrangement of the team's system, James said bluntly: "Steve, I can do anything you ask me to do, but there is one thing I don't want to do. I don't want to play No. 4." Bit."
Before Cole could speak, James had already blocked Cole's words and made his attitude clear.
This made Cole a little frustrated. Could it be that his plan of "James dealing cards at a high position" could not be realized before it even started?
Cole then thought about it, patted James on the shoulder and said, "No, LeBron, I don't want you to play the fourth position."
"That's good."
"I think it's more appropriate for you to play the fifth position."
(End of chapter)
