So you are comparing Phil Jackson not being able to control Kobe (a notorious selfish malcontent) for one half of one game to Mike Brown failing to intervene for an entire season of Lebron taking bad 3s, Varajao trying to take guys of the dribble, Hughes shooting atrocious jumpers, etc.? Really, those are the same? And would Phil Jackson call a play at the end of a playoff game that calls for Kobe to dribble around until the end of the shot clock with no other players even so much as setting a screen?

Somehow, I don’t think we’re talking about the same thing here.

Phil Jackson did not become a bad coach for that second half. No, his superstar decided to do something that was damaging the team, and there was nothing that Jackson could do to stop it. It’s no different if the same thing happens to Mike Brown. This is the NBA, and the inmates run the asylum. The best you can do is hope that your coach can convince them to do the right thing often enough.

The dude is an NBA head coach. If he can’t control the players (including Lebron) then he can’t be the coach. The coach isn’t just there to “suggest” a certain course of action. He’s there to implement it. It’s his job to make the players fall in line. If they don’t, its his fault, not the players.

What would happen if Brown called Lebron out or called a play for someone else? Honestly I don’t know how he would react but if he wouldn’t comply, then the coach doesn’t have the type of influence that a coach needs to be effective. In the NBA, that’s the coach’s problem, not the superstar, not going to be traded, player’s problem.

Is that fair? I guess its no different than anyone else entrusted with supervising and directing those underneath him. If he can’t get them to fall in line or is afraid to ask, he shouldn’t be the supervisor.

Do I think the Cavs are the strongest team? No. Do I think anyone in the East will beat them in a seven-game series? No - not easily anyways. Lebron is made for the playoffs, and he will always be hard to beat in a best-of-7. Ya might beat him by 40 and feel good one game, but ya gotta do it 4 times. if they lose this series then we can be up in arms. Until then, I still look forward to watching Garnett self-implode against us. Dude’s a psycho, an actual fight may ensue with him around. He’s like a non-winning, less eccentric Dennis Rodman, but with more cheapshots…

I will say that although I really like our backcourt these days, I’d like to see them attack the rim more. It’s like watching Damona hang out waiting to shoot a three the whole time. Wally, Gibson, West and Brown sometimes only want to shoot threes or nothing, or else they don’t shoot enough. The ball movement is improving sometimes, but it’s usually all for a three.

A lot of fans say this, and it could be true, but what proof does anyone have for saying this? I mean, don’t get me wrong, whoever drew that up (whether it was the coach or lebron) wasn’t thinking straight. Brown said it himself that he should have called Z’s number. How do you, or anyone for that matter, know that he didn’t?

- I hate the Cavs’ half-court offense. It has to improve. But…

- Mike Brown didn’t call for LeBron to dribble out the clock on two of the last three possessions. That was all LeBron, and the only way Brown could have prevented that would have been to take LeBron out of the game. How do you think *that* would have gone over. You can’t hold Brown accountable for those plays, that’s all on LeBron.

- The Wizards only shot 41% in Game 5. You have to give Brown credit for getting the Cavs to play well defensively during the playoffs. It’s Brown’s focus on defense and rebounding that have allowed the Cavs to win a lot of playoff games over the last three years. More playoff wins (22), in fact, than the Lakers (8), the Suns (22), the Mavericks (17)…everyone but the Pistons (23), and the Spurs (27). While this year still has to play out, so far that’s a damn good performance in the playoffs, one that can’t be matched by Avery Johnson, Rick Carlisle, Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, and any number of people that fans would rather see coach this team.

- And at the very least, Brown hasn’t had his superstar give a big middle finger to his team by refusing to shoot in the second half of a Game 7, then bashing his teammates in the offseason.

- I know the grass is always greener, but let’s put things in perspective. The only “proven” championship coaches in this league are Phil Jackson (busy), Greg Popavich (busy), Pat Riley (retired in Miami), Larry Brown (busy), and…that’s it, that’s the list. Any other name thrown out by fans has just as much NBA Finals success as Mike Brown. Namely, none. Unless Chuck Daly or Rudy Tomjanovich comes out of retirement, the Cavs are going to have a first-time championship coach if/when they win the title. I don’t see anything in the resumes of Avery Johnson or Rick Carlisle or Mike D’Antoni that make me think they would guarantee a championship. In fact, all of those guys have watched as championship-level teams disintegrate under thier watch.

- I really wish the Cavs had won Game 5. But until they get knocked out of the Playoffs this year, I’m not going to say the team has underachieved.

Go Cavs. How about giving a damn tonight?

Mike C.

And if James leaves, really, so what? Gilbert can dump costs and expenses like he’s Gund, Jr. or Clay Bennett. No fuss, no muss. Besides, the local media’s cheerleading PR assertion that Gilbert has been “willing to spend” is deceptive and bogus. Sure, Gilbert’s been willing to spend. Why? Because fans have been paying for the increased payroll, including any luxury tax. Since he and his group bought the franchise, NBA ticket prices have risen an average of 9.8%. But Gilbert’s ticket prices? 30.1%, over THREE TIMES the league average. And it’s undoubtedly going to be jacked up far more than the league average again next season.

But back to the point. Brown’s going nowhere, and Ferry isn’t going to lose face by firing him. And there’s no underlying financial reason for ownership to tell him to go somewhere else. So much like Ferry’s reign of error, it’s a moot point complaining about what’s already been done, as incredibly frustrating as it may be. So just accept his fashionable pairs of glasses and his glistening, lustrous chocolate head, and move on to something else. Like why can’t Brown stop dressing like a slob and consult with Isiah Thomas. Now there’s a guy who knows how to dress.

I’ve never been high on Mike Brown, but I do think it’s possible to win a title with him. You’d just need one more legitimate All-Star player and an offensive coach that won’t/can’t be stepped on by Brown.