On the Cavaliers roster, Mike Brown's title is listed as head coach. That's accurate but far from encompassing, just like the man himself.
Brown starts his fourth season with the franchise Tuesday night when the Cavs open in Boston. By the numbers, he is already the most successful coach in team history, the leader in winning percentage (.589) and virtually every playoff production category.
He's done much of it under the radar, which is by his design. And by passing off credit and absorbing as much criticism as possible, which is by design, too. Which may not have earned him the highest approval ratings with the team's fan base, but has remarkably endeared him to the players.
When Brown was hired, he had never been a head coach at any level and was the second youngest head coach, at age 35, in the NBA. He never played in the league and didn't play in a major conference in college. So it was somewhat of a tough sell, a gamble considering the challenges he faced.
He has been a success thus far because of the way he handled those challenges, namely because he does not see himself as "head coach" at all; he'd prefer not even to be seen as a boss. Brown has spent years focusing and honing skills not just in basketball management but people management and his success speaks in his record.
"You look at guys like Gregg Popovich, he has four rings; Pat Riley has a bunch of championships; Jerry Sloan has accomplished a great deal," Brown said. "Those guys have the green light to say what they want to say and they are going to be supported by the players and management because of who they are and what they have done. From a young age, I had to figure out how to impose my will and get guys to understand without jumping on them or forcing it."
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