Brown fired from Lakers coach

 LOS ANGELES, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) -- Mike Brown was fired from the NBA Lakers after a 1-4 season start, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak confirmed on Friday.

The Lakers lost their first three games before their lone¹ victory -- a 108-79 triumph over winless Detroit on Sunday. After a 95-86 setback² at Utah on Wednesday, speculation³ surrounding Brown's job status was rampant⁴.

Brown was just beginning his second year as Lakers coach. The team was 41-25 during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season and lost to Oklahoma City in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs.

The firing came only hours ahead of the Lakers playing host to Golden State, a game in which the squad⁵ will be guided by assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff on an interim⁶ basis. A search for a new head coach is already under way.

"This was a difficult and painful decision to make," Kupchak said. "Mike was very hard-working and dedicated⁷, but we felt it was in the best interest of the team to make a change at this time. "

The Lakers have the worst record in the Western Conference but the NBA's largest payroll⁸ at more than 100 milllion dollars, one that would spark a luxury tax hit of more than 30 million dollars for owners by the end of the season.

Superstar guard Kobe Bryant has struggled with a foot injury while nagging⁹ injuries and his "death stare" glare at Brown during a loss on Wednesday to Utah might have hinted his feelings about Brown, who has almost three full years remaining on a four-year deal worth 18 million dollars.

Injuries have also hampered¹⁰ the team's two star off-season acquisitions, guard Steve Nash and center Dwight Howard.

Howard is still trying to find top form after back surgery earlier this year while Nash has been healthy for only one full game so far this season because of a leg injury.

Former Lakers star player, coach and part-owner Magic Johnson said in a Twitter posting that he never thought Brown should have been coaching the Lakers.

"Feel bad for Coach Mike Brown, who's a great guy, but don't think he was the right guy for the job in the first place," Johnson tweeted.

Former Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who guided the Lakers to five NBA titles before retiring in 2011, was among those mentioned as possible replacements¹¹. Brown replaced Jackson in the job before the start of last season.

The Lakers went 41-25 under Brown last season, losing to Oklahoma City in the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Brown coached Cleveland from 2005-2010, guiding the team to the 2007 NBA Finals when LeBron James was sparking the Cavaliers' attack. Brown went 272-138 during his time in Cleveland.

The Lakers play at home Friday against the Golden State Warriors¹².

1 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

2 setback   

n.退步，挫折，挫败

参考例句：

• Since that time there has never been any setback in his career.从那时起他在事业上一直没有遇到周折。
• She views every minor setback as a disaster.她把每个较小的挫折都看成重大灾难。

3 speculation   

n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机

参考例句：

• Her mind is occupied with speculation.她的头脑忙于思考。
• There is widespread speculation that he is going to resign.人们普遍推测他要辞职。

4 rampant   

adj.(植物)蔓生的；狂暴的，无约束的

参考例句：

• Sickness was rampant in the area.该地区疾病蔓延。
• You cannot allow children to rampant through the museum.你不能任由小孩子在博物馆里乱跑。

5 squad   

n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组

参考例句：

• The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
• A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。

6 interim   

adj.暂时的，临时的；n.间歇，过渡期间

参考例句：

• The government is taking interim measures to help those in immediate need.政府正在采取临时措施帮助那些有立即需要的人。
• It may turn out to be an interim technology.这可能只是个过渡技术。

7 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

8 payroll   

n.工资表，在职人员名单，工薪总额

参考例句：

• His yearly payroll is $1.2 million.他的年薪是120万美元。
• I can't wait to get my payroll check.我真等不及拿到我的工资单了。

9 nagging   

adj.唠叨的，挑剔的；使人不得安宁的v.不断地挑剔或批评（某人）( nag的现在分词 )；不断地烦扰或伤害（某人）；无休止地抱怨；不断指责

参考例句：

• Stop nagging—I'll do it as soon as I can. 别唠叨了—我会尽快做的。
• I've got a nagging pain in my lower back. 我后背下方老是疼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 hampered   

妨碍，束缚，限制( hamper的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The search was hampered by appalling weather conditions. 恶劣的天气妨碍了搜寻工作。
• So thought every harassed, hampered, respectable boy in St. Petersburg. 圣彼德堡镇的那些受折磨、受拘束的体面孩子们个个都是这么想的。

11 replacements   

n.代替( replacement的名词复数 )；替换的人[物]；替代品；归还

参考例句：

• They infiltrated behind the lines so as to annoy the emery replacements. 他们渗透敌后以便骚扰敌军的调度。 来自辞典例句
• For oil replacements, cheap suddenly looks less of a problem. 对于石油的替代品来说，价格变得无足轻重了。 来自互联网

12 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。