原文出處:http://tinyurl.com/63ygj2 標題: Brown credits assistant Kuester as Cavaliers' invigorated offense takes flight When the Cavaliers went through prolonged offensive slumps over the last few seasons, coach Mike Brown often found himself the target of criticism. There was urging from both inside the organization and out for him to consider adding a so-called "offensive coordinator" to his staff. It would have mirrored a bit of the philosophy Brown was a part of in his previous job, when he was the highly successful defensive coordinator for the Indiana Pacers. Well, this season Brown has done so. He just didn't exactly tell everyone about it. At 19-3, the Cavs possess the best offense in the NBA, in terms of efficiency. They rank fourth in scoring at just under 104 points a game, second in field- goal shooting at 48 percent and first in victory margin at more than 13 points. Much of it can be attributed to the addition of point guard Mo Williams; the team previously lacked an accomplished lead guard, which contributed to the past trouble. But there's also another factor that has helped despite purposely not getting attention -- offensive coordinator John Kuester. In his second season as Brown's assistant, Kuester has taken over much of the detail operations of the offense. He has brought some new concepts to what the Cavs call their "early" offense, an effort to make them more effective in transition and less bogged down. It was part of a mini-makeover Brown made to his staff in the off-season. He didn't publicly announce it because he didn't want to add any undue pressure to his coaches. Brown also made assistant Mike Malone his defensive coordinator and changed around some in-game roles so veteran Hank Egan is behind the bench during games while assistant Melvin Hunt is on the bench for every game. "You always talk about that it is important for teammates to have trust in one another. Coaches have to have trust, too," said Kuester, who has worked in the NBA for the last 18 years with six teams and won a championship with the Detroit Pistons in 2004. "Mike puts a lot of trust in his players and his coaches." General Manager Danny Ferry first approached Brown, a defensive specialist who has been studying offenses in depth since becoming head coach, about offloading some of his offensive duties on an assistant. Ferry is the boss, but has always allowed Brown to make all coaching decisions. "At first I said no, and not quite in those words; I was a little harsh," Brown said. "You don't like people to tell you what to do sometimes. But Danny knows me, he knows he planted the seed and that I'd think about it and make an educated decision." Last summer, Brown asked Kuester to be the summer league coach. With three players from the current roster -- rookies J.J. Hickson, Darnell Jackson and Jawad Williams -- on the team, Kuester started making some adjustments to the offensive system. He didn't know it, but he was auditioning for Brown. "I watched some of the things he did in summer league and I started thinking about it, about how I might define a new role," Brown said. "Then I started to get excited about it and now I am thankful I did it." Kuester designed the foundation for the early offense, which takes advantage of Williams being able to handle the ball and LeBron James acting sometimes like a power forward. It also gave some new roles to center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who is put in different areas of the floor to create space for others. All of the coaches consult, especially Malone and Hunt. But during timeouts, Kuester will now often be in the center of the huddle drawing up plays, with Brown behind him. He is in charge of all offensive preparation and is responsible for presenting options to Brown for all possible in-game situations. Brown still has the final call and along with James and Williams, calls most of the plays. But his support system has never been stronger. "I think the way Mike operates best is when he's got guys around him he's got confidence in," Malone said. "But Mike is the president, he's got veto power, he does what he feels is best." There is no doubt part of the reason why Brown feels he can loosen the reigns a bit is because of the success he's enjoyed. With the best winning percentage in team history and still fresh off a contract extension, his security is strong. But it is also a return to his coaching roots. Not only did Rick Carlisle give him large responsibilities as an assistant in Indiana, but so did mentors Gregg Popovich in San Antonio and Bernie Bickerstaff in Denver and Washington. It also follows his coaching philosophy, which is to build around defense and also get his coaches and players personally invested in the effort. "It is truly a team effort within the coach staff, we all share ideas," Kuester said."It has been both stimulating and challenging for me. So far, I'm having a lot of fun." --

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