Some thoughts on the Lakers' firing of Mike Brown before I head to Madison Square Garden to watch two teams that are actually good at basketball in the present day play a basketball game against each other:

• This is a ludicrous move, and one that clearly speaks to some broader organizational discomfort with Brown as a long-term leader — a justifiable discomfort, considering Brown’s inability to rein in his top players over two seasons, the Lakers’ shaky defense (Brown’s calling card) over that span, and the weird management of his bench.