HOOPSWORLD | Basketball News & NBA Rumors

When reports began surfacing that the Los Angeles Lakers were in serious negotiations with Mike Brown, the players that he would soon be managing were completely shocked.

For some reason, Laker players were under the impression that the coaching search had been narrowed down to Rick Adelman and Brian Shaw.

Adelman, who left the Houston Rockets last month, was said to be the frontrunner early on in the process. Shaw, who has been an assistant coach with the Lakers since 2004, had received endorsements from players including Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher and Luke Walton.

Jim Buss, the team’s executive vice president of player personnel, made the decision not to consult any of his players as he searched for Phil Jackson’s replacement. Brown landed the job after making a defensive-oriented presentation to Buss and selling the idea that he can keep the Lakers in contention year after year.

However, Brown finds himself in a tough spot. Not only will Jackson’s shadow make things difficult, he also has to prove to his players that he’s the best man for the job rather than the locker room-favorite Shaw.

Shortly after the Lakers announced the hiring, sources close to Kobe Bryant used several interesting words to describe the superstar’s feelings. Sports Illustrated reported that he was "surprised" by the move. The Los Angeles Times went one step further and described Bryant as "confused."

Both reports are accurate, and Bryant wasn’t the only Laker with that reaction. The group wasn’t very familiar with Brown because he only faced Los Angeles twice a year as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Some players were curious how fans were reacting because they knew that Brown’s teams had been criticized for being one-dimensional in the past.

Bryant’s biggest gripe seems to be that he wasn’t asked for input in the decision. When the Lakers hired Rudy Tomjanovich in 2004, Bryant’s thoughts were considered because he was deciding whether or not to sign elsewhere as a free agent. When the team re-hired Phil Jackson shortly after, Bryant was also in mind because he had a tumultuous relationship with the legendary coach.

While Bryant has declined to publicly comment on the hiring, he has been in contact with Brown.

"Kobe and I have exchanged texts tonight," Brown said in an interview that aired on ESPN during halftime of the Western Conference Finals. "I imagine we will get on the phone at one point or another. He was busy with his family at one point and so was I so we weren’t able to hook up by phone."

When asked if his time coaching LeBron James will help him work with Bryant, Brown said: "They’re both great competitors, but I’m not going to compare the two because they’re two different guys," Brown said. "Obviously I don’t know Kobe as well, but I’m looking forward to getting to know Kobe and being able to work with him to go get us a championship because that’s the level of expectation that you have being a Laker. Kobe is a Hall of Famer, we all know that. We all know the amount of rings that he has. To me, that’s special, and that just adds to the chemistry when you’re trying to forge and go after another one."

Winning another ring would certainly put all concerns to rest in Los Angeles. First, however, Brown must win over his team.

Up Close With Shelvin Mack: For the second consecutive season, the Butler Bulldogs played the role of Cinderella in the NCAA Tournament. Last year, their postseason run helped Gordon Hayward emerge as a lottery selection. This year, Shelvin Mack is the player who helped his draft stock the most with each and every win. After the season, Mack considered returning to school, but ultimately decided to remain in the draft.

Many teams have been impressed with Mack throughout this process, both in interviews and workouts. He told teams what they wanted to hear in Chicago and then outperformed most of his peers in the Minnesota group workout earlier this week.

HOOPSWORLD caught up with Mack during the Pre-Draft Camp and discussed the draft process, misconceptions about his game and support system that allowed him to experience so much success.

Michigan’s Next Point Guard: With Darius Morris leaving the University of Michigan to enter the NBA Draft, the Wolverines will be without their leading scorer and passer. They’ll also be without a definitive answer at the point guard position, but one incoming recruit could change that.

Trey Burke, Ohio’s Mr. Basketball, is expected to play immediately and take over the Wolverines’ starting job at some point during the season.

"I hope to come straight in and make an impact," Burke told HOOPSWORLD. "I want to make my teammates better, get everyone the ball and then score when I need to. I feel like I have to fill some big shoes, but I’m ready for whatever."

"Coach said that if I come in early on and show that I play hard at all times, then I’ll be rewarded," he added. "I’m taking his word for it and I’m just going in with a hardworking attitude."

{AUTHOR_BOX}Burke is a well-rounded guard that contributes on both ends of the floor. He averaged 23.6 points, 6.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 2.6 steals during his senior season at Northland High School in Columbus.

That’s right. Michigan’s next top prospect grew up in Buckeye territory.

Not only did he play high school basketball in Columbus, he was coached by Satch Sullinger – the father of Ohio State’s Jared Sullinger. Burke hasn’t even arrived on campus yet, but he already gets excited when he starts thinking about playing his hometown team.

"A lot of people tease me down here in Columbus so I’m used to it by now," Burke said with a laugh. "I love to compete and I think playing against Ohio State – Jared and all those guys – is going to be a great experience. I’m looking forward to it."

After a stressful recruiting process, Burke was happy to end up at Michigan and find a situation where he could play right away. He had originally verbally committed to Penn State, but re-opened his recruitment when he wasn’t sure if the coaching staff would remain in place.

"It was hectic and I was just ready to get it over with," Burke said. "All through high school, I was just like every other kid. I was looking forward to the letters and phone calls, but then I kind of got tired of it. I was ready for the process to end so right when I got to Michigan, I knew it was the place for me. I just ended the recruiting process right there and then."

Burke has a lot of potential and some have compared the 6-foot-1 point guard to Allen Iverson.

"I like when people compare my game to Allen Iverson," he said. "He’s one of my favorite players of all-time. I’ve watched a lot of film on him and I tend to do some of his moves. We’re kind of the same size so I like that comparison a lot."

"I can play the one or the two," he added. "I prefer the point guard position, but in AAU, I play off the ball a little bit. I’m sure at Michigan I’ll probably just play the one, but I think I’m kind of a mixture between a one and two."

He is also an excellent floor general who uses his quickness on both ends of the floor.

"I would describe my game as poised and under control at all times," Burke said. "I get others involved, but I can also score when I need to. I’m always going to play hard on defense. I’m that Energizer Bunny."

"I love to play defense," he added. "I’m very competitive and I feel like in order to win, you have to get stops. Every single game, I tell myself, ‘My man can’t score.’ I make an effort to keep my man under a certain amount of points. I play defense with a lot of pride and I feel like that’s probably the most important part of the game."

The Wolverines will welcome his intensity and versatility with open arms. If Burke taps into his potential and develops as expected, he should be able to make an impact and provide Michigan’s questionable backcourt with a much-needed answer.