(AFP) Posted Thursday May 26, 2011 – 9:35am

The Los Angeles
Lakers have said they are close to finalizing a deal with Mike Brown to
succeed Phil Jackson as the National Basketball Association team’s new
head coach.

“In response to rampant speculation and reports about
our head coaching position and Mike Brown, we’ve met with Mike and are
very impressed with him,” Lakers spokesman John Black said Wednesday.

“In addition, we have an outline for an agreement in place and hope to sign a contract within the next few days.”

Former Cleveland Cavaliers coach Brown, 41, works as a television analyst at ESPN which first reported that a deal was close.

The Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday that Brown was expected to sign a contract late Wednesday or Thursday.

The Times said the deal could be worth between $4 million and $4.5 million a season and good for four years with an option.

Brown was interviewed on ESPN during half time of the Dallas Mavericks’ Western Conference finals victory over Oklahoma City.

He
said he had already traded text messages with Lakers superstar Kobe
Bryant, who had endorsed Phil Jackson assistant coach Brian Shaw for the
top job.

Brown said he was “looking forward to getting to know
Kobe and being able to work with him to go and get us a championship,”
he said.

Shaw had been a favored candidate of many Lakers players,
but Derek Fisher said via Twitter Wednesday that he was looking forward
to working with Brown.

“Will miss Phil but excited to start a new
chapter under Mike Brown,” Fisher said on the micro-blogging site.
“Looking forward to a different style and energy!!”

In Los Angeles, Brown faces the difficult challenge of replacing coaching icon Jackson, who had 11 championship rings with Los Angeles and the Chicago Bulls, and last season led the Lakers to their 16th NBA title in franchise history.

Jackson retired after the Lakers were eliminated by Dallas in the second round of this year’s playoffs.

Brown
was head coach of the Cavaliers for five seasons until he was fired
last year. In 2009, he was named the NBA’s coach of the year.

The Cavaliers made it to the 2007 NBA finals but were eliminated in four straight games by San Antonio.

Copyright © 2011 AFP

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