Mike Brown

With the Lakers set to begin a six-game homestand tonight against the Warriors, the team's next few games could determine whether or not head coach Mike Brown keeps his job, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. According to Stein, an unsuccessful homestand would put Brown's job in immediate jeopardy. While the Lakers have expressed public support for Brown, the team is concerned enough that it would seriously consider a coaching change if the on-court struggles continue.

Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss said earlier this week that he has "no problems" with Brown, and that the front office will be patient to allow the head coach to work through the slow start. He did concede that the team would have to stay on top of the situation, but didn't suggest Brown was on the hot seat. According to Stein, however, the club's patience is "starting to erode."

The Lakers' six-game homestand includes matchups against four of the West's 2011/12 lottery teams, in the Warriors, Kings, Suns, and Rockets, so there should be plenty of winnable games for Los Angeles during the stretch.

As Stein notes, Mike D'Antoni, Nate McMillan, Jerry Sloan, and Stan Van Gundy are among the high-profile former head coaches who are currently on the market. Meanwhile, Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com and ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst are two of the most recent writers to address the coaching situation in Los Angeles.

With the Lakers off to a 1-4 start, there's been plenty of speculation suggesting that head coach Mike Brown could be on the hot seat in Los Angeles. However, as Lakers executive vice president Jim Buss tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, the front office intends to exercise some patience, letting Brown and the Lakers work through the early-season struggles.

"I have no problems with Mike Brown at all," Buss said. "He just works too hard and he's too knowledgeable for this to be happening. So either the system is flawed or something's going on. Or, like the Triangle, it's very hard to pick up and understand. I'm not a basketball mind like he is or the players are, and the players are fine with it, so I just have to be patient."

Buss acknowledged that no one was happy about the team's early results and that he and the front office would stay on top of the situation, but said that doesn't mean a change is coming. According to Buss, he's been gauging the reactions of Kobe Bryant and the rest of the Lakers, reading their public comments and talking to them directly, and has gotten the sense that "everything's cool."

While the Lakers only have five games under their belts and are expected to turn things around in the near future, Buss admitted that the team was built to win now and continued struggles would be a concern. However, he wouldn't commit to a specific timeline for evaluating the club's (and Brown's) performance.

"You have to give it time to understand [what's going on]," Buss said. "I don't know if there's an actual game total that would make me impatient. I know if we're 1-15, I don't think that would be very good. I'm sure that would be a panic button. But at this time, I'm fine with what's going on. It's a learning process for the players. As long as everybody is on the same page, I think we're fine."

Magic Johnson recently made waves by saying that Mike Brown would be fired if the Lakers lose tonight's Game Seven against the Nuggets.  The Lakers issued a statement that Magic's comments on Brown "in no way reflect the feelings of (Lakers) management," according to a tweet by Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. The statement also indicated that the organization is in full support of Brown as the head coach.

Royce Young of CBS Sports had the complete transcript: 

“The opinion expressed yesterday by Magic Johnson regarding Mike Brown was his personal opinion and was made in his role as a TV analyst. His words were not made on behalf of the Los Angeles Lakers, and in no way do they reflect the feelings or position of team ownership or management. We are fully committed to and supportive of Mike Brown as head coach of the Lakers.”

Mike Trudell of KCAL-9 and Dave McMenamin of ESPN LA were also among the first to tweet about the statement. 

The Lakers have lost on consecutive nights to teams near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, resulting in some growing unrest in the locker room over the team's offensive performance. According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles, there's increasing concern among Lakers players about coach Mike Brown's offensive system, which has the club scoring at its lowest rate in the shot-clock era.

Sources tell Shelburne that the Lakers' struggles on the road have many of the team's veterans longing for a return to Phil Jackson's Triangle offense. Since the players-only meeting held by Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher last month, a few players have met privately to discussing running elements of the Triangle, says Shelburne.

"The players want to unify," one source told Shelburne. "They know how to win, and they want to fix this. I don't know if they can, though."

The other topic of discussion during that initial players-only meeting was the trade rumors surrounding the team. Following the Lakers' most recent losses, along with continued reports of the players at odds with Brown and the coaches, you'd have to think those trade rumors will only pick up steam in the coming week. Whether it's the roster, the coaching staff, or the on-court philosophy, something needs to change for the Lakers if they hope to contend for a title this season.