ON DECK: Mike Brown fired

On Thursday night I was talking with a local coach who happens to be a Los Angeles Lakers fan — he's actually a good guy.

I asked before he said good-bye what was wrong with his Lakers, who came into the season a favorite to make the NBA Finals by adding Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. He told me that Mike Brown isn't a very good coach. I nodded and told him that I thought if the Lakers' early-season slide continued, he would be the first one to go — asked to leave town as fast as you can on a Southern California freeway.

Turned out the Lakers (see: Kobe Bryant) decided getting rid of Brown was the right thing to do sooner, rather than later.

Now the Lakers must scramble to find a replacement for Brown. Mike D'Antoni? Jerry Sloan? Or maybe Jerry Buss will write a blank check for Phil Jackson to come handle the Lakers four superstars? That's if his heart is still in it.