On Tuesday morning, we noted that the next coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, whoever that might be, will be paid far less than outgoing coach Phil Jackson.
On Tuesday evening, word surfaced that the Lakers coaching search might be coming to an end relatively quickly.
First, the Los Angeles Times reported that Lakers owner Jerry Buss says the team is "very close" to finding a replacement.
"I don't know exactly when but a week is a long time," Buss said in a wide-ranging interview Tuesday with Playboy Radio's Michael Eaves and Bonnie Jill Laflin on Sirius/XM Radio. "I should say that."Later Tuesday evening, Yahoo! Sports reportedthat the man for the job may be former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Mike Brown.
"Obviously, we have to select somebody who has a reputation that players would be happy with," Buss said. "But to ask a direct player to select a particular coach, that’s general manager territory. That’s out of the player domain."
The Los Angeles Lakers are engaged in serious discussions with Mike Brown about the ex-Cleveland Cavaliers coach becoming the franchise’s next coach, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.Brown, 41, coached the Cavaliers from 2005-2006 to 2000-2010, winning 50+ games in four of those five seasons. He took the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2006-2007. He was named the NBA's Coach of the Year in 2009 but parted ways with the team in the early summer of 2010, shortly before All-Star forward LeBron James left the franchise to play for the Miami Heat. Prior to his time in Cleveland, Brown was an asisstant coach for the San Antonio Spurs.
There could be an agreement in place within the next 24 hours, sources say, but nothing has been finalized.
His name first surfaced with regard to the Lakers position last week.
