Yesterday, the Cleveland Cavaliers hired Mike Brown, 2008-09 NBA Coach of the Year, to replace Byron Scott as their head coach. Brown was notably fired earlier this season by the Los Angeles Lakers after an inauspicious 1-5 start to the season. More notably, however, this is Brown’s second stint with the team, after coaching them for five years from 2005-2010, coaching LeBron James-led teams to one NBA finals appearance. He was fired in the spring of 2010, following a second-round playoff loss to the Boston Celtics, becoming the first coach to lead a team to back-to-back 60+ win seasons without an NBA Finals appearance.

Brown is no doubt a gifted defensive coach, with all of his Cavaliers teams placing in the top 10 in opponent points per game. However, his offensive gameplans have been often criticized, after his dedication to the Princeton offense in Los Angeles helped lead to his firing, and his heavy reliance upon meticulous halfcourt offenses in Cleveland, despite having the league’s best transition weapon in LeBron. While some of this criticism is fair, it should be noted that it’s not as if his teams were terrible offensively- in his last year as the Cavaliers’ head coach, the team had a top-10 offensive rating despite a bottom-5 pace.

Still, this decision must be called into question as it relates to the franchise’s long-term future. Any hopes that the franchise may have had about reacquiring LeBron in free agency have likely evaporated, as it’s unlikely that LeBron would want to undergo the same situation as before in Cleveland, particularly if Brown still commits to an offense that limits transition opportunities, which LeBron has thrived in in Miami. Brown should be able to help the defensive developments of Cleveland’s younger players, particularly All-Star PG Kyrie Irving. Overall, however, it doesn’t seem like a wise long-term decision to hire a coach whose strategies largely sputtered before in Cleveland.

November 7, 2012; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike Brown during a game against the Utah Jazz at EnergySolutions Arena. The Jazz defeated the Lakers 95-86. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

After a three season tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers , Byron Scott was released of his head coaching duties earlier this week. In the coming days, the rumor mill will inevitably be filled with names of potential candidates for the job.

According to Ohio.com, Cavaliers owner, Dan Gilbert, would not be against bringing back the team’s previous coach, Mike Brown. Other than Brown, the team is expected to reach out to the retired legendary coach Phil Jackson.

Despite retiring and indicating he has to plans to continue his head coaching career, Jackson was in the talks for the Los Angeles Lakers job, before Mike D’Antoni was hired by the team. However, if Jackson was to ever coach again, it is highly unlikely he would go to a team in a rebuilding process.

Brown, on the other hand, lost his job earlier this season, as the Lakers decided to part ways with their head coach after only five games into his second season. Brown was initially fired by the Cavaliers a couple of years ago, in an attempt to keep LeBron James in Cleveland. He is still considered to be a very good defensive coach, and could perhaps fit in well with the young core of this Cavs team.

Who do you think the Cavaliers should hire? Let us know in the comments down below.

Stay tuned to KJG as we continue to follow the story.

@VytisLasaitis