The Los Angeles Lakers despite their ugly 1-4 start to the season, continue to publicly support head coach Mike Brown. Should they ever change their minds, however, Jerry Sloan is reportedly waiting in the wings. Per Hoopsworld: “Many within NBA circles believe it’s only a matter of time before Brown is fired. Jerry Sloan and Mike D’Antoni are two names that have surfaced as possible replacements for Brown. ‘Jerry Sloan to L.A. by December 1,’ one league source predicted. ‘[Steve] Nash and [Dwight] Howard are the new [John] Stockton and [Karl] Malone. He wants a ring, not to mention the money. He didn’t seriously consider Orlando, Charlotte or Portland [openings] over the summer because he knew Los Angeles would open up.’ Brown has one of the toughest jobs in basketball. He’ll be blamed when the Lakers lose. His decisions will be second-guessed and he’ll have to answer question after question: Why is Bryant playing so many minutes? Why isn’t Howard getting more touches? Why isn’t Nash handling the ball more? Why did Jodie Meeks fall out of the rotation? Why is this team running the Princeton offense? Having four future Hall of Famers in your rotation is every head coach’s dream, but only when things are going well. If the team struggles, as the Lakers have through [five] games, it can be nightmare. Fair or not, Brown will be on the hot seat and under the microscope all season long.”