Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Mike Brown (迈克布朗) |
| Gender | Male |
| Affiliation | Cleveland Cavaliers |
| Occupation/Role | Head coach |
| First Appearance | Cavaliers training camp 8 |
History
Brown recommends drafting Su Yi after noticing his shooting talent. At training camp, he tests the rookie with 500 three-pointers from five positions, requiring better than 95% accuracy. Su Yi makes 493, and Brown subsequently increases his preseason playing time 9 11.
As Su Yi becomes central to Cleveland's offense, Brown's authority is initially constrained by LeBron James's standing with the team. He staggers their minutes to give Su Yi room to operate and briefly restores the old lineup when James demands a return to his former role. After losses and public criticism, James agrees to support Brown's Su Yi-led offense; team management leaves tactical decisions to Brown 31 35 40 42.
Brown later becomes willing to bench James when his play hurts the team, including during games against Detroit and Dallas. A confrontation over James's defense and shooting spills into a public argument during the Eastern Conference Finals. General manager Chris Grant backs Brown's decisions for the remaining games 77 105 150 154.
Coaching Approach
Lineups and Matchups
- Changes assignments to address specific opponents: against New Orleans, he moves James to small forward to guard Peja Stojakovic and assigns Larry Hughes to Chris Paul 43.
- Uses Drew Gooden and Big Z together to strengthen the interior and create space for Su Yi; later deploys a twin-tower frontcourt against the Lakers 77 546.
- Tests a younger starting five—George Hill, Su Yi, Wilson Chandler, Marcin Gortat, and Roy Hibbert—and retains it ahead of the 2009–10 season despite the resulting bench roles for veterans 562 563.
Player Development and Team Play
- Wants Cleveland to create shots through passing rather than depend on Su Yi every possession. He sometimes leaves reserves on the floor against stronger opponents so they can gain experience 225 461.
- Gives young players substantial preseason minutes and experiments with rotations when the team's record allows it 410 605.
- Repeatedly questions Su Yi's exceptionally long training sessions, limits his playing time to protect him, and calls for a medical check after a hard foul 64 75 111 236.
Relationships
- Su Yi — Brown advocated drafting him and comes to trust him as Cleveland's offensive core. Su Yi accepts difficult coaching decisions, while Brown remains attentive to his health 9 35 64 532.
- LeBron James — Their relationship shifts from Brown accommodating James's demands to benchings and open conflict over his role and effort 35 38 77 150.
- Chris Grant — The general manager supports Brown's authority over James during the Eastern Conference Finals 154.
- Larry Hughes and Big Z — Brown relies on both veterans, later speaks with each about moving to the bench; Big Z accepts immediately, while Hughes initially objects 104 563.