For those who doubt you can be anything you want if you put your mind to it and work hard, Mike Brown is living proof. The Cleveland Cavaliers’ rookie coach began his NBA rise 13 years ago in a part-time job as a video coordinator for the Nuggets.
“I feel blessed, I feel lucky, and the whole nine yards,” Brown said. “But I truly believe that I worked for it, too. I truly believe that every opportunity I got, I tried my darndest to take advantage of. I know I’m not the smartest guy. But I tried like heck to work as hard as I could to get better.”
Brown played basketball at the University of San Diego from 1990-92 and told then- coach Hank Egan he wanted to be an NBA coach one day. On Jan. 7, 1992, Egan went to Denver before a game at Colorado to ask then-Nuggets general manager Bernie Bickerstaff if he would give Brown a chance. (Bickerstaff had played and coached at San Diego.)
“When he met Mike, it sold the deal for (Bickerstaff),” Egan said.
After Brown left San Diego, Bickerstaff hired him as a part-time video coordinator. Impressed with Brown’s hard work, Bickerstaff held open a full- time video coordinator job for Brown late in 1992 once Brown completed his business degree.
“He saw that I was a young guy willing to learn, that would do whatever it takes to learn,” Brown said. “With that work ethic, I had a chance to be good if I had a chance to learn a little something.”
When Bickerstaff took a head coaching job with Washington in 1997, he brought Brown along as an assistant coach. He was an assistant for two years before becoming a scout. Although Bickerstaff was fired during the lockout-shortened 1998-99 season, Brown stayed on in Washington as a scout but yearned to coach. San Antonio had an assistant’s opening in 2000 and hired Alvin Gentry, who soon left to become head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich hired Brown to replace Gentry. Brown initially was not a bench coach, but in less than a month he so impressed Popovich that he was moved to the bench and given a raise.
Brown was an assistant on the Spurs’ 2003 title team, after which he was named coach Rick Carlisle’s top assistant in Indiana. Atlanta and Toronto showed interest in hiring Brown as a head coach during that offseason. Being passed over ended up working in Brown’s favor as he landed his first head coaching position last June with LeBron James and the Cavaliers.
“Everyone thinks he’s a young coach that had this handed to him,” Egan said. “He’s been pounding away at the rock for 15 years.”
Cleveland is 11-7 under Brown, who has carved out a reputation as a great defensive mind and communicator. With each victory, Brown’s trek from the video room to the sideline gains more meaning.
“If you have a goal in mind, go for it,” Brown said. “But there are going to be some sacrifices and sweat in order to get there. I worked hard to get to where I am.”
Back in school
The NBA sent out a memo last week stating teams can scout college practices again. NBA teams had been prohibited from scouting college practices because of a new rule in the latest collective bargaining agreement.
“It just helps us do our job better,” Nuggets assistant general manager David Fredman said. “It doesn’t mean we have contact with these players. We just want to evaluate the best we can.”
Footnotes
With Nuggets center Marcus Camby off to a hot start, the shoe company he endorses, And1, will be filming a commercial showcasing him on Dec. 19 in Denver. Camby will be promoting the new $90 “Mystique” model available at Finish Line stores Jan. 13. The commercial’s concept is a game within a shoe where Camby will compete against And1 MixTape streetball players. Sites being considered for the commercial include Magness Arena and Denver East High’s gym. And1 is confident Camby will be named an all-star for the first time this season. Said former NBA star and Turner Sports analyst Charles Barkley: “Marcus Camby better be starting at center for the West (in the 2006 All-Star Game).” The first ballot results for starters for the 2006 All-Star Game in Houston will be released Thursday. … What compensation are the Nuggets giving up in exchange for getting assistant Tim Grgurich from Portland? A conditional second-round pick in 2011. … Nikoloz Tskitishvili, the fifth pick in the 2002 draft by Denver, rarely saw playing time with the Nuggets. Entering the weekend, he had yet to play a minute for Minnesota and was hoping for a trade. “I thought this was going to be a good opportunity for me,” Tskitishvili told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “I hope it’s not going to continue like this. I’m looking forward to moving on as soon as I can.” Tskitishvili signed a two-year deal paying him a total of $1.5 million, but if he is waived by Aug. 1, 2006, the Wolves would be off the hook for a $798,112 contract next season. … Nuggets forward Eduardo Najera has his own website, www.najera21.com, now in Spanish but expected to soon be in English. … The Nuggets aren’t expected to have any interest in Kentucky forward Randolph Morris if he decides to go to the NBA immediately as a free agent. Morris was ruled ineligible for the 2005-06 season by the NCAA for his interaction with a sports agency. Kentucky reportedly will appeal the ruling and hope for an answer by Christmas. … Word is Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Woodson could be gone soon – his team has started the season 2-16.
Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com. You can hear Spears talk about the NBA on Thursdays in the morning on “The Press Box” and at 4 p.m. with John Fricke.
