Sacramento Kings Fire Mike Brown: A Class Issue?
The Sacramento Kings made a shocking move on Friday, firing head coach Mike Brown just 31 games into his third season. This decision came despite Brown leading the team to its first playoff appearance in 16 years just the previous season.
The team, after adding star player DeMar DeRozan, had gotten off to a disappointing 13-18 start with a five-game losing streak factored in. A particularly brutal loss to the Detroit Pistons, where the Kings lost a three-point lead in the final seconds on a four-point play, seemingly sealed Brown’s fate. He was informed of the firing over the phone while on his way to the airport for a game against the Los Angeles Lakers.
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The news sent shockwaves throughout the coaching community. Several prominent coaches expressed disbelief, calling it a shocking and unexpected decision.
Denver Nuggets coach Mike Malone, however, was particularly scathing in his criticism. Malone was also fired by the Kings in 2014, and the way both his and Brown’s departures unfolded resonated deeply with him.
Here’s what Malone had to say:
"We’re going into a [Nuggets coaches] meeting this afternoon … I’m not on social media. I’m not aware of what’s going on outside these walls sometimes. It’ll probably take off six years of my life," Malone began.
"I go into the meeting and the coaches say, ‘you hear about Mike Brown?’ I said, ‘why, what happened?’ They said he got fired."
"At first I was really shocked and surprised," Malone continued. "Then I caught myself. I said why am I shocked and surprised? [I’m not] for two reasons. One, because as an NBA head coach, ultimately, you’re going to get the blame. When [the Kings’ win, [the credit is] gonna go to [De’Aaron] Fox and [Domantas] Sabonis, and when [they] lose, the [blame] is gonna go to Mike Brown. That’s the way it works.
"And two, who [Brown] works for," Malone concluded as he launched his shot at the Kings. "So I’m not surprised that Mike Brown got fired, because I got fired by the same person. And what really pissed me off about it was the fact that [the Kings] lost last night, fifth game in a row, I believe. Tough loss, fouling a jump shooter. They had practiced this morning. He does his media, and he’s in his car going to the airport to fly to L.A. and they call him on the phone [and tell him he’s fired]. No class. No balls. That’s what I’ll say about that."
Malone’s words highlight a concerning trend in the NBA. While it’s true that coaching changes are common, the manner in which Brown was dismissed appeared disrespectful and lacked basic professionalism.
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