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An unsuccessful homestand for the Los Angeles Lakers, as they settle into Staples Center for the next six games, would put the job of Lakers coach Mike Brown in immediate jeopardy, according to sources close to the situation.
Sources told ESPN.com that the Lakers, while having publicly expressed support for Brown in the wake of a 1-4 start, have privately grown sufficiently concerned about the state of the team to the point that management is prepared to look seriously at a coaching change at this early juncture if L.A. can’t take advantage of what looks to be multiple winnable games in the upcoming stretch.
The homestand begins Friday night against the banged-up Golden State Warriors, who’ll be without injured center Andrew Bogut and key reserve Brandon Rush, and continues through Nov. 20 with games against Sacramento, San Antonio, Phoenix, Houston and Brooklyn.
The Lakers have had a healthy Steve Nash in the lineup for only 1½ of their five games so far thanks to a leg injury, while fellow newcomer Dwight Howard has acknowledged that he’s still recovering from the back surgery that brought a premature end to his 2011-12 campaign and knocked him out of the London Olympics. Kobe Bryant has also been playing through a foot ailment.
Yet sources maintain that patience in the organization is starting to erode as the wait continues for signs of improvement in the Lakers’ play.
— Reported by Marc Stein of ESPN.com
