Mike Brown, assistant coach of the Golden State Warriors, reacts in Game 3 of the NBA playoff series against the Houston Rockets at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, May 4, 2019. /VCG Photo
Mike Brown, assistant coach of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, has agreed to take over as the head coach of the Nigerian men's basketball national team, according to ESPN.
ESPN's Marc J. Spears reported that Musa Kida, president of the Nigerian Basketball Federation, wanted to look for someone with NBA background to coach the team which made the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
Josh Okogie #20 of Nigeria drives towards the rim in the game against China at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Guangzhou, capital city of southern China's Guangdong Province, September 8, 2019. /VCG Photo
Nigeria gained their Olympic qualification at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in China last year. The team were first in Group B with Argentina, Russia and South Korea. The 1-2 record was not good enough to send the team to the elimination stage but Nigeria capitalized their opportunity by defeating the host China in their last game. As the best-performing team from Africa, they secured a spot in Tokyo.
With several NBA players including Josh Okogie and Al-Farouq Aminu, Nigerians are very talented especially in athleticism but lack tactics. In most cases, the players are simply playing the game relying on their physical advantage, which explained why they suffered losses in more experienced Russia and Argentina.
Mike Brown, head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers talks to LeBron James in Game 2 of the NBA playoff series against the New Jersey Nets at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, May 8, 2007. /VCG Photo
Brown started his head coach career with the Cleveland Cavaliers and LeBron James in the 2005-06 season. After five years without winning a championship, Brown was fired. He took over as the coach of the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2011-12 season but the team's poor performance at the beginning of the following season again cost Brown his job.
He returned to Cleveland in the 2013-14 season in which the team finished with a 33-49 record. However, as James returned to Cleveland in 2014, Brown was again fired.
Though Brown's career as a head coach is hardly successful, he pocketed three NBA championship rings as an assistant coach. Moreover, his is considered as an expert in coaching defense. His records in the Cavaliers and the Warriors could help prove that. It takes subtleness and great communication skills to help teams build good defensive system. From this approach, Brown can be a good option for Nigeria.