Warriors’ Mike Brown Possible Candidate to Replace Doc Rivers at LA Clippers

The aftermath of the Los Angeles Clippers’ collapse in the Playoffs continues. The LA Clippers were considered favorites to emerge out of the Western Conference and win the NBA Championship. However, they fell to the Denver Nuggets in the second round after being 3-1 up in the series.

The result saw head coach Doc Rivers and the Clippers part ways after 7 years. Now rumors suggest that Mike Brown of the Golden State Warriors is a likely candidate to take over the LA franchise.

The Los Angeles Clippers had been considered favorites to win the NBA title since the beginning of the season after acquiring Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the off-season, even mortgaging much of their future for the acquisition of the latter. However, the team lost a step and a great deal of momentum when the NBA got shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Clippers could still make the Playoffs easily through the second seed. They dispatched off the Dallas Mavericks in the first round, 4 games to 2. By the second round, the Clippers had a 3-1 advantage, yet lost to the Denver Nuggets 4-3.

Players like Leonard and George were criticized heavily, and Rivers faced backlash for not making appropriate rotations when needed. The Clippers again failed to make it out of the Western Conference Semi-Finals.

Mike Brown over Tyronn Lue at LA Clippers

NBA analyst took to Twitter to say, “Latest buzz in NBA coaching circles: Golden State’s Mike Brown made a strong impression on the Clippers in his interview and is an emerging candidate with LA. Ty Lue, scheduled to meet with Houston early next week, was widely billed as the early favorite to succeed Doc Rivers”

Lue was heavily expected to take over from Rivers, having been the assistant coach for the Clippers’ entire previous season, with experience winning an NBA Championship in 2016. Brown’s resume doesn’t compare as well with Lue, as he never won an NBA Championship as head coach.

However, Mike Brown is a former NBA Coach of the Year, and led a mediocre (aside from LeBron James) Cleveland Cavaliers side to the 2007 NBA Finals, only to be swept by the San Antonio Spurs. He has also been an important part of Steve Kerr’s coaching staff at Golden State Warriors, helping them get to 3 NBA Finals and 2 NBA Championships.

Should Lue get the Houston Rockets’ head coach job, he would replace Mike D’Antoni, who held the position since 2016 but was let go due to the Rocket’s poor performance in the 2020 Playoffs.

Is Mike Brown the best option for the Clippers Head Coach? Also, should Ty Lue consider going to the Rockets?