That was fast; Mike Brown got shoved under the bus by the Busses after only five games with Superfriends West. True, it was 1-4 with Nash hurt and Howard still a bit stiff coming back from a bad back, but there must have been something under the surface. A trigger this quick sounds like something the Yankees would do when Boy George had a bad burrito the night before.
The possible problem was trying to run a Princeton offense with a quartet of Hall of Famers. You run Princeton when you have brains but not talent and need to out-think your opposition or at least make them work hard on defense by moving and screening and moving and screening and moving some more.
You also need a good-shooting big man to run Princeton; Dwight Howard is more Fresh Prince than Princeton. Pau Gasol would be a great Princeton-style center, but as a power-forward running with a center who is only effective near the paint, he's not as effective.
Also, Steve Nash's ability to run an offense is diminished if you're making everyone into point-guards. When you have one of the better passers in NBA history, let him do that.
Also, Kobe might not fit this offense. He thinks shoot first and knows he's the best shot on the team. He also is the franchise and can run you out of town if he doesn't like you, since coaches are easier to replace than Hall-of-Famers.
Mike D'Antoni would make the most sense of the vets mentioned in the piece. He has a working relationship with Nash from the Suns, has Italian roots that can play to Kobe's youth and has an high-octane offense that can take advantage of mobile big men like Gasol and Howard.
Bernie Bickerstaff isn't chopped liver; he's an NBA lifer who has enough gravitas to deal with Kobe when his ego is in I'm-takin'-over mode. Mike Brown was solid (and will surface again in short order) but was a notch over his head with the Laker job.
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