Why Cavs fans can't have complete confidence in team's direction
The Cavaliers were always asking for trouble by re-hiring Mike Brown after a failed stint with the Lakers and handing him a five-year, $20 million contract. On Monday, after a 33-49 season that saw the team finish 10th in a putrid Eastern Conference and miss the playoffs for a fourth straight season, Brown's second stint with the Cavs came to an end just one year into that five-year deal.
That Dan Gilbert will now have to pay Brown a boatload of money while the fired coach moves on - again - is a worthy punishment for another one of Gilbert's poorly though out decisions (the hiring, not the firing).
Despite Brown's defensive reputation, Cleveland finished the season tied for 17th in defensive efficiency with the 59-loss Magic at 104.8 points allowed per 100 possessions. Combined with a bottom-10 offense led by Brown's offensive ineptitude, the regression of Kyrie Irving and questionable decision making of Dion Waiters, the final results were often disastrous for a team that expected to compete for the franchise's first post-LeBron playoff berth.
Brown is a perfect example of why coaches can't be judged by wins and losses alone. The former Popovich assistant and 2009 Coach of the Year now has an awful track record without Pop above him or LeBron James carrying him, yet he's been given three chances as an NBA head coach - and two chances by one franchise - because of his success in situations where virtually any coach could have succeeded. If Brown gets another shot at some point in the near future, it will only be an indictment of the unimaginative decision making that goes on in some NBA front offices, where failed coaches on the usual carousel are recycled rather than those front offices looking for fresh coaching talent.
For the Cavs, their decision to get a fresh start from a coaching perspective also included Dan Gilbert's decision to keep a holdover from a failed regime in charge from a management perspective. With news that Brown was being fired came news that David Griffin would have the interim tag removed from his General Manager title.
Griffin moved up from his role as Vice President of Basketball Operations and took over when Chris Grant was fired in February. His first move saw the team part with two second round picks in exchange for Spencer Hawes and his expiring contract less than two months after Grant had parted with picks for Luol Deng's expiring deal. The result was that Cleveland gave up future assets for short-term assets with no long-term future in Cleveland while only getting marginally better in the process, as the moves merely hurt their lottery odds without significantly improving their playoff odds.
Griffin and the Cavs can offer Irving a maximum contract extension this summer, and if all goes according to plan, Cleveland could have a franchise-type point guard locked up for the long haul with some promising - if debatable - young talent around him, additional draft picks next year, cap flexibility going forward and a new, Griffin-picked coach at the helm.
However, if Griffin and Gilbert whiff on another coaching hire, if Irving becomes the first young star to forego a maximum extension in search of early free agency in 2016, if he fails to reach his franchise player potential, or if the Cavs continue to make a mess of their high draft picks as they've done with the aforementioned debatable talent, they'll be back at square one in no time.
Fans are likely pleased with the decision today regarding Brown, and there is still reason for hope in Cleveland. But between the continued presence of Gilbert, his recent track record, and the vote of confidence in a holdover from his latest failed regime, those fans certainly have reason for pause.