LOS ANGELES — The Lakers reached an agreement in principle with former Cavaliers coach Mike Brown to succeed Phil Jackson, the team said Wednesday.
“We’ve met with Mike and are very impressed with him,” the Lakers said in a statement. “In addition, we have an outline for an agreement in place and hope to sign a contract within the next few days.”
Brown will get a four-year deal worth roughly $18 million, a person with knowledge of the discussions told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the Lakers hadn’t yet formally hired Brown.
With a strong interview last weekend, Brown jumped to the front of the line of candidates for the daunting challenge of succeeding the 11-time NBA champion Jackson with one of the NBA’s iconic franchises. Brown will be the 22nd coach of the Lakers, whose 16 NBA titles trail only the Celtics’ 17 in league history.
Rather than promoting one of Jackson’s assistant coaches, the Lakers are changing course after an abrupt end to their two-year title reign and the long-anticipated departure of Jackson, the coach with the most championship rings in NBA history. After nearly quitting last summer, Jackson retired this month after the Mavericks swept the defending two-time champion Lakers out of the second round of the playoffs.
Although Kobe Bryant endorsed Jackson assistant Brian Shaw for the vacancy, Jim Buss — the Lakers’ executive vice president of player personnel and the son of owner Jerry Buss — became intrigued by Brown after Saturday’s interview.
A respected young tactician with a strong coaching pedigree, Brown also has ample experience with big games and big stars, even if he couldn’t guide LeBron James to a title.
“I think it’s great,” James said in Miami, where he’s preparing for tonight’s game against the Bulls.
The 41-year-old Brown led the Cavaliers to the 2007 NBA Finals and went 272-138 in five years with Cleveland, becoming the most successful coach in franchise history.
Footnotes.
Warriors guard Stephen Curry had surgery on his right ankle but is expected to be ready by training camp in the fall.
• Bulls backup center Omer Asik will miss the rest of the season because of a broken left fibula.
