The Sacramento Kings Mike Brown’s firing on Friday left a bad taste in the mouths of some NBA coaches, and they’ve made that clear in recent days.
The Kings replaced Brown with Doug Christie. Sacramento fell to 13-18 on Thursday, leading to the decision to fire Brown. However, it was the manner in which the head coach was fired that apparently didn’t sit well with others.
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Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown shouts instructions from the bench during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Randall Benton)
Sacramento’s front office informed Brown of the decision by telephone as he drove to the team plane, ESPN reported.
Denver Nuggets’ Michael Malone, Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors and JB Bickerstaff of the Detroit Pistons were among those who spoke.
Malone had some choice words.
“I’m not surprised that Mike Brown got fired because I was fired by the same person,” Malone said after the Nuggets’ loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. via ESPN. “And what really made me angry was the fact that they lost, I think, the fifth game in a row on Thursday night. Tough defeat… They had trained this morning. He’s doing his aftermath.” Media, and he’s sitting in his car on the way to the airport to fly to LA, and they call him.
“No lessons, no balls. That’s what I say about it.”
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Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone looks on during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the New York Knicks on Monday, Nov. 25, 2024, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Kerr told reporters he was “disappointed” by the dismissal.
“Mike is a great friend, a great coach. I talked to him and we all kind of know that’s the nature of the business,” Kerr said via NBC Sports Bay Area. “But it just seems so shocking when a guy was unanimously named Coach of the Year a year and a half ago.”
Bickerstaff echoed Malone’s words, calling the firing “classless.”
“He deserves better. You can make whatever decision you want to make, we understand that,” he added The athlete. “But the way you treat people is important and it is extremely disappointing to see a coach, a man you care about, a man you know how good and talented he is “I’m being treated like that, you know, and that’s disappointing.” People wouldn’t think of treating people as people and giving them the respect they deserve knowing the sacrifices the coaches make to their families , their personal health and everything Mike has done for this team and that Organization.
“You know, I just thought it sucked, to be honest, the way it was handled.”
Sacramento Kings center Isaac Jones is greeted by Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Denver Nuggets in Sacramento, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Randall Benton)
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Brown was in the middle of his third season with the Kings. He led them to the playoffs in his first year in 2022-23. He went 107-89 as a head coach.
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