Dear Mike Brown

via Sports Illustrated:

The Los Angeles Lakers have reached an agreement in principle with former Cleveland coach Mike Brown to succeed Phil Jackson, the team said Wednesday.

"We've met with Mike and are very impressed with him,'' said a statement issued by the Lakers. "In addition, we have an outline for an agreement in place and hope to sign a contract within the next few days.''

Brown will get a four-year deal worth roughly $18 million, a person with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity because the Lakers hadn't yet formally hired Brown.

Coaching changes are always a mixed bag in the NBA. We tend to think that when a coach leaves a team, the coach either has nothing more to work for with that franchise. And we tend to think that when a coach is ousted or gets fired, that the team wants nothing more to do with that coach. In the case of the Los Angeles Lakers, who not only were ousted from the NBA Playoffs in a pathetic fashion, but also let the legendary Phil Jackson leave in a blaze of embarrassment, there is a hailstorm of questions surrounding their situation. Kobe Bryant is a year older, with his 15-year career beginning its twilight. Pau Gasol was exposed for his lack of testicular fortitude against the great Dirk Nowitzki. Ron Artest clearly needed a few more sessions with his psychiatrist. Lamar Odom Kardashian was too busy tweeting and doing reality TV to matter, and Andrew Bynum made more waves with his ridiculous flagrant foul than his play on the court. The Lakers were little more than a talented team with a huge identity crisis and too many conflicting personalities.

That said, with your principal agreement to become the head coach of the Lakers, you, Mike Brown, have become the latest coach associated with a fall from glory to get a crack at an already established team. Such a responsibility should be a difficult one, but with your handling of the Cleveland Cavaliers two years ago, I actually have faith in your abilities. Yes, you still have the offensive capabilities of Shaq from the three-point line. Yes, you still have the LeBron-sized shadow of LeBron's departure from Cleveland. But you did have your bright spots in Cleveland. You made it to the Playoffs every year of your tenure. Defensively, your Cavaliers were one of the best defensive teams I've ever seen. I don't even know how you did it, though. The only two stoppers on those squads were Anderson 'Wacka Floppa Flame' Varajao and LeBron. You had an anemic Zydrunas on the court and Mo Williams is a non-factor at times. Let's call a spade a spade. You squeezed more out of those Cleveland Cavaliers teams than Diddy out of Biggie's legacy. It was like you were cooking an 8-course meal out of a burger patty and a few grains of rice.

With those successes, how are you not considered a good coach? In an NBA (and sports) environment where coaches rotate constantly, you were some form of consistency. You crafted the Cleveland Cavaliers from the basement of the NBA to a constant in the headlines. Most of it was due to LeBron, but how many stars fail to succeed because of the coaching staff around them? My guess is more than we think. Additionally, that you could handle the spotlight of the Chosen One might be the best sign for the star-studded circus that is the Lake Show. At the same time, Kobe might do his best spoiled superstar impression (again) and you might have some problems on your hands. I suppose we won't know until next season, if we have one. Either way, you didn't need an invitation, Mike. If the Lakers call you for a coaching vacancy, only a crazy person would turn it down.


PS: One tip, though: Get rid of Steve Blake and Matt Barnes. Those guys are the latest championship stowaways and it's clear they're deadweight. Get real with those two.

Dear 2010-11 NBA Regular Season

First of all, let me say goodbye. As we enter the 2011 NBA Playoffs and the field of teams shrinks from 30 to 16, I can recant on this season thinking it was one of the best and interesting I've seen. You brought us the ongoing story of the Miami Wades, a continued shift in power from West to East, among numerous other plotlines, as well as great play on the court. Additionally, you will end with at least one team relocating in Sacramento, the retirement of Jerry Sloan, and a murky labor situation with your CBA expiring.

Sidenote: Lord, Lord, Lord please let the NBA and NFL get their labor agreements together so that I don't have to sit through a summer of all baseball, all the time...

Secondly NBA Season, I must say I am impressed with your second half. The trade deadline kept the excitement up, putting stars in new places all for the better. (RIP to my boy Deron Williams' legacy, Baron Davis' business aspirations and the Celtics' title hopes) You further cemented the NBA as the best professional league out there, especially considering the NFL's unsure future and how lame baseball has gotten. Thirdly, with the Playoffs continuing this evening, it's time to give out awards for this season. Check out Dear Whoever's superlatives:

Most Valuable Player: Derrick Rose



While Kobe, Dwight Howard, LeBron and D-Wade have all been lynchpins for their respective franchises, no one has done more for their team than Derrick Rose. If you want to talk about a player willing his squad to victory night in and night out, it is the 2008 #1 pick. 25 points per game, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and shooting 10% better from both 3-point range and the foul line. D-Rose elevated his game to a new level while his frontcourt was constantly in flux, with Boozer and Noah both battling injuries all year. Most importantly, Rose has shown that you don't need a triple-headed (talking about YOU, Heat, Celtics and Lakers) monster to win in the NBA... just one superstar.

Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard



As much as I despise Superman Bizarro for his overally corny nature and lack of any semblance of an offensive skill set, I can never deny that Dwight Howard isn't a beast in his own right. The manchild has a penchant for being around the ball when it has the propensity to be vaulted into the stands by his frying pan of a hand. Howard changes shots when he's on the court. Without him, the Magic would be lost defensively and would be run out of the gym. Just take a look at their stats without him. They allow over 98 points without him, and just over 90 with him. If that's not a defensive presence, I don't know what is. Now if only we could get him to call Hakeem and copy his offensive game, too...

6th Man of the Year: Lamar Odom



If I didn't know any better, I'd say that Kardashian tail has some magical powers! If it isn't Kris Humphries finally turning into a serviceable NBA starter while dating Kim, then it's Lamar Odom playing like he finally grew a pair after putting a ring on Khloe's finger. Odom has always been one of the most intriguing players in the league, if not for his unique skill set, then for his lack of production with such a set. En route to another successful Lakers' season, Odom averaged 14 points and 9 rebounds while shooting a career-best 53% from the field... Coming off the bench. And if that isn't enough to seal L.O.'s bid for 6th man of the year, name a better 6th man this year... Jason Terry? Nahh... Big Baby Davis? Get him a binky. No other bench player has contributed more to a winning effort. Thank the Kardashians...

Rookie of the Year: Blake Griffin



There's not much to say about this one. John Wall was the next best option, and he got blown out of the water. If you need any proof as to why Blake is the ROY, just look at the above video again, and pray for Timofey Mozgov's soul.

Most Improved Player: Kevin Love



This was probably the only award that gave me some trouble. I've watched Dorrell Wright go from a first round pick with the "potential to be the next T-Mac" to a benchwarmer on the Miami Heat, to a forgotten high school draftee, to an unsung hero on the Golden State Warriors. Wright jumped from 7 points per game to over 16 points a game, which is incredible. Yet, playing for the Warriors, I think I could put up at least 10 points per game. That said, Kevin Love is the Most Improved Player of the Year. He went from 14 to 20 points per game, while leading the league in double-doubles and rebounds per game, AND playing for probably the worst team in the league. Hell, Kev Love shot 42% from 3 this year! He put up a 30 point and 30 rebound game and put together a streak of 53 double doubles! Kev is exactly what the league needs in terms of a big man, and proved it every time he stepped on the court en route to his first All-Star bid. He not only improved his game, but his team's (limited) game. Hand that man the trophy!

Dear Lakers & Celtics

It's the end of basketball season, and while it's a somber part of the year for basketball junkies such as myself, it's good to see this season coming to a close. I guess it's only right that you two meet in the Finals. David Stern and the NBA wanted it and no other team made their case for the ship, so here we have a rematch of the 2008 Finals. I, for one, would have loved to see ANY other two teams (well, Playoff teams) reach the big dance, because you two have had your fair share of wins already. Quite honestly, I'm getting thoroughly bored of seeing similar teams make it every time. There's yet to be a Playoffs in this new millenia that has featured two underdogs or even one team that didn't have the silver spoon in its mouth at the beginning of the season. That's not to say that you two don't deserve to be in the Finals (if that was the case, you wouldn't be there). It just gets really boring. That said, let's examine both teams and see who's really going to win the 'ship this year...

The guy on the left is the best player in the world. If the other two show up, the Lakers are damn near impossible to beat...

Los Angeles Lakers

Kobe. Kobe. And even more Kobe. That's what the you guys have been sicking on the league all season. What's crazy is that it worked... up until about March. Kobe basically admitted that he didn't have a hand anymore and that his knee was turning into silly putty. And your squad was faced with the fact that Kobe Bryant is, indeed, a mortal like the rest of us (not all; I still consider Bynum an overgrown hobbit). That fact made another title in La-La Land seem a lot harder to grasp. But have no fear, Lakers!! Kobe made it back for the Playoffs and, though you guys struggled at times during the Thunder series, made quick work of the Jazz and Suns. That said, the Celtics will be the toughest team you have faced in a WHILE. Their front line is a bunch of men who look like they eat children and broken dreams, while their backcourt is full of finesse.

For you guys to win, two people other than Kobe have to show up, and in a big way: Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. Those two are the only other players who have it in them to be DOMINANT. And I say that cautiously, not only because dominance takes many forms in basketball, but also because both players are known to have soft demeanors. When Lamar Odom Kardashian is dominant, he could be one of the best players in the game, given his skill set. Gasol on the other hand is the unsung hero of sorts. He's been an All-Star forever, though he defers to Kobe more often than he should. I bring these two players up because when your team won last year, it wasn't because Kobe went off for 45 every night. It was because there was a concerted effort for all of your players to put in the extra bit that Kobe can't do when he's off scoring at will and making people look retarded. Don't get me wrong. If Bryant plays badly, you guys lose. Point blank. But if Odom, Gasol and every other role player on that squad fills in the gaps, you guys will be hard as hell to beat...

It's been the Big 4 all season.. Will all 4 come up big again??

Boston Celtics

Now, to you guys... the story of the Playoffs in my opinion. Your team was considered dead in the water at the end of the season, limping into the postseason with some pretty ugly home losses on your record. Look at you now! After rolling over the Miami Wades in the first round, dethroning King James in the second round and turning Superman into Clark Kent in Orlando, you guys look to be on a streak. This playoffs, you more or less took out the teams of the three best players in the Eastern Conference, and did it in grand style. But while the Lakers got there on the shoulders of their lone superstar, you guys did it with good, old-fashioned teamwork. When I look at your stats from the Playoffs, there isn't a player that sticks out to me on paper. In fact, besides Rajon Rondo, none of you have been overly-consistent. But that's the beauty (GAG!!! I'm a Knicks fan) of Celtics basketball. Pierce, Garnett & Allen, et. al. seem to turn up when the game is on the line. Whether it's Pierce or Allen hitting ridiculous shots, KG with his trademark intensity, Sheed exploding out of nowhere, or any of your other role-palyers turning it on, someone always fills in.

Along with that team solidarity, you guys have the best defensive team I've ever seen. During the Orlando series, I've never seen a team so flustered as I did in Games 1&2. It was as if your team was made out of brick and the Magic were water splashing up against you. Howard was nowhere to be found, threes weren't falling and you guys got easy points in transition and through 2nd-chance points. That said, you're facing a well-oiled machine in the Lakers. When the triangle offense is at its best, there is an open shot at the end of every possession. What you guys need to do is focus on keeping everyone but Kobe Bryant under wraps. There's really no point to trying to stop him. But if you can kill everyone else's game, there's no reason why you shouldn't win. Also, make sure to let Rajon Rondo loose on Derek Fisher. I'm tired of seeing teams sleep on Fisher, only to have him making key plays down the stretch. Defense and a heavy dose of tough love are all you need...

The picture says it all.. This is going to be another rough series

Conclusion

Honestly, I don't like either of you. I despise you, the Lakers and Celtics, for reasons I can't even fathom sometimes. It could be the rings; it could be that both cities PALE in comparison to NYC; It could just be something subconscious. Though, if I had to pick one of you based solely on basketball, it would have to be the Celtics. Lakers, you've shown the world the blueprint on how to beat you. Celtics, I'm not so sure that there is a definite way to beat you, other than to grind it out and pray to the basketball gods. Benchwise, Boston, you've got it. There's too many big bodies coming off the pine that can make up for lack of skill. Plus, I think Sheed is going to have one of his rare 'Really, Sheed?' series', where he defies logic and drops 20 a game again. Lakers, you guys dominated the West, but as many forget, the East is no longer a pushover. Celtics in 6, though even that I'm shaky on. Should be a good series.

P.S.: Check the blog tomorrow for the top moments from this year's playoffs!!!