Man, let me tell you about digging into that mess of a Lakers season back in 2012-13. Felt like trying to solve a puzzle with half the pieces missing.
Honestly, I just wanted to understand if Mike Brown got a raw deal. Everyone remembers the disaster, right? Hired then fired stupidly fast. But I started wondering: was there anything there? Did he almost pull it off before it blew up? Felt like chasing ghosts, but I grabbed my coffee and dove into old game tapes and articles.
The Hype Train Wreck
Right off the bat, summer 2012 was INSANE. Dwight Howard and Steve Nash coming to LA? Lakers fans (me included!) lost our damn minds. Championship vibes all day. Brown must have felt like he won the lottery. Who wouldn’t with Kobe, Pau, and now those two legends? Expectations? Through the freaking roof.
Brown’s Big Idea (And First Problem)
So, Coach Mike rolls in waving his big plan: the Princeton offense. Sounds fancy, but basically means constant movement, lots of cutting, tons of passing – less standing around watching Kobe work. Made sense on paper. Why? Because we had Nash, right? Maestro of passing! But here’s thing one I noticed digging in:
- Kobe Bryant. Legend. Also kinda liked having the ball. A lot.
- Dwight Howard. Dominant force. Not exactly known for slick passing out of the post back then.
- Steve Nash? Okay, perfect fit… except he got hurt almost immediately. BAM. Starting point guard gone. Plan wrecked before it even started.
So Brown tries shoving this pass-heavy system at guys who weren’t naturally built for it without Nash running the show. Watching those early preseason games? Painful. Like fitting square pegs into round holes with a sledgehammer. Turnovers everywhere, timing off, guys looking confused. The chemistry? Yeah, non-existent.
Scramble Mode Activated
Nash is out, Dwight’s back is wonky from surgery, Pau looks lost. Season opener arrives and they get stomped by Dallas. Ouch. Brown panics (who wouldn’t?), ditches the fancy Princeton stuff, and tries to simplify. Run pick-and-rolls for Nash (when he’s back), feed Dwight inside, give Kobe the ball in his spots. Basic stuff.
And guess what? It kinda started… working? For a minute. I watched this stretch in late November/early December. They won a few games looked less awful, maybe even competent. Defense tightened up a bit (Brown’s calling card, honestly). Beat Brooklyn, then Dallas in a revenge game. I remember thinking, “Okay, maybe they’re figuring it out? Just maybe?” Dwight was dunking, Nash hit some shots, Kobe was scoring efficiently. A flicker of hope.
Then The Ceiling Caved In
Remember that flicker? Yeah, snuffed out hard.
- Dwight’s shoulder? Messed up.
- Pau? Plantar fasciitis. Could barely move.
- Nash? Still looked like he’d been hit by a truck after his leg injury.
The team basically ran on Kobe’s fumes. He dropped 40+ multiple times just trying to drag them to wins. I watched that Boston game in February where he refused to lose, scoring like crazy. But it wasn’t sustainable. You could see the exhaustion.
The End That Wasn’t Really a Surprise
They had a decent record for a bit, hovering around .500 by April, but it felt hollow. The locker room? Reports said toxic. Dwight sulking. Pau frustrated. Kobe playing hero-ball trying to save them. Every game felt like a struggle.
Then, BAM. Just a few games into the season? Like, 5 games? Boom. Fired. Mike D’Antoni rolls into town. It was done. Finished.
So, Did It Almost Work?
Looking back, honestly? Almost feels too strong. It kinda showed signs of life for a few weeks when Brown simplified after the Princeton debacle. If Nash stayed healthy? If Dwight bought in faster and wasn’t broken? If the team actually had time to breathe? Maybe they get to 50 wins.
But the injuries piled up way too fast, the personalities clashed hard, and the coach couldn’t glue it together. Mike Brown didn’t get time, sure. But did he show he could manage that volatile roster and find success? Watching it all again… hard to say yes. It was less about “almost worked” and more like “briefly avoided complete implosion before inevitably collapsing.” Still fascinating to see how fast things derailed with that much talent.
