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Kings Players React To Sudden Coaching Change

December 28th, 2024 at 7:53pm CST by Arthur Hill

Interim Kings coach Doug Christie stressed the need for unity as he addressed the team following Friday’s surprise firing of Mike Brown, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Christie, who served as an assistant to Brown, will be in charge of trying to salvage a season that is spiraling out of control after an 0-5 homestand. Sacramento is 12th in West at 13-18 and needs a quick turnaround to climb back into the playoff race.

Christie spoke to his players before their flight departed Friday for tonight’s game against the Lakers and again at this morning’s shootaround, according to McMenamin.

“To come out and stick together, fight and just be us, be who we are and turn this thing around,” Domantas Sabonis said in sharing his new head coach’s message.

Malik Monk said “all the vibes were high” at the shootaround, as the team feels a renewed energy from the sudden coaching change. Sabonis exhibited that by arranging for his own travel to Los Angeles. He was considered questionable to play because of an illness that forced him to miss Thursday’s game, but he wanted to be there to display his commitment to Christie.

“I got here and went right onto the court,” Sabonis said. “We’re all focused on winning the game. But we obviously know we haven’t been performing at our best. And we have to do a better job. Me, as one of the leaders of the team, I got to make sure that that happens. We got to win all the games that we can.”

Brown appeared to have a long future in Sacramento after leading the team to the playoffs in 2023 and narrowly missing another playoff appearance in last season’s play-in tournament. He was rewarded with an offseason extension that runs through 2026/27 and gives him an extra $20MM in guaranteed money, but management quickly lost patience with the slow start. The offseason addition of DeMar DeRozan hasn’t work out as planned, and there was skepticism that the Kings could move up the standings with Brown in charge.

Sabonis and Monk expressed shock over the sudden move, while De’Aaron Fox told McMenamin that he was notified “a minute before everybody else.” Fox also pondered the players’ role in the coaching change when he was asked if he felt any “pressure or guilt” over Brown’s fate.

“Any pressure or guilt? I mean, obviously we all know the job that we have,” Fox responded. “You can be traded at any point. Released. Cut. Fired. Whatever it may be. I mean, I wouldn’t use the word ‘guilt.’ But that’s the nature of the job that we have. But I mean, obviously him signing his extension this summer, we felt like we would be together a whole lot longer but that’s the decision that they made. But at the end of the day, too, he’s still being paid. A great part of being an NBA player, being an NBA coach, is those things can happen, but these contracts are guaranteed.”

Although Brown’s dismissal seemed to come out of nowhere, there were already rumors about “waning confidence” from ownership even before he was given the extension, Jake Fischer states in his latest Substack story. Sources tell Fischer there were “internal disagreements” regarding the team’s starting lineup and the tradeoff in playing time between Keon Ellis and Kevin Huerter.

Fischer reported in 2022 that Mark Jackson was the preferred candidate of owner Vivek Ranadive before Brown was hired. Jackson was head coach of the Warriors when Ranadive became a minority owner of that team, and several NBA sources have told Fischer that Ranadive seems to prefer having a former player in that role. That may explain why Christie was chosen to run the team, although it’s not clear if there’s any commitment to him beyond the end of the season.

Pacific Notes: Brown, Christie, Kings, Fox, Schröder, Lakers

December 28th, 2024 at 11:49am CST by Tristan Tucker

Former Kings head coach Mike Brown tore into his team after another blown lead led to a loss against the Pistons on Thursday. However, Anthony Slater and Sam Amick of The Athletic write that Brown’s stern post-game news conferences began to wear on players, and that was part of the Kings’ decision to part with him.

Slater and Amick report that there was no malice or specific purpose intended with the timing of the firing, which came as Brown was getting ready for the team’s flight for their game in Los Angeles. Owner Vivek Ranadive was particularly upset with the Kings’ poor play and noted their fall from first in offense in 2022/23 to the middle of the pack last season, but the decision to let go of Brown was general manager Monte McNair‘s, according to Slater and Amick.

The Kings will have a chance to right the ship under interim replacement Doug Christie, with the team boasting the eighth-best offense in the league despite falling to 13-18.

We have more from the Pacific Division:

There is no immediate head coaching search planned for the Kings, Slater and Amick write in the same story. After being named interim coach, Christie will have an opportunity to make a case for the permanent position. Christie’s promotion was a long time coming. Ranadive once saw Christie as a viable alternative to Alvin Gentry (who was eventually named interim coach) after Luke Walton was fired in 2021. Christie has a strong relationship with players and staff and made a lasting impression in Sacramento during his time as a player, commentator and assistant, per The Athletic.
Choosing a starting lineup will be one of Christie’s first tasks as coach, Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes. The starting shooting guard position will likely come down to Malik Monk, Kevin Huerter or Keon Ellis.
De’Aaron Fox took accountability for his defensive mistake at the end of Thursday’s loss to the Pistons, Sean Cunningham of Fox 40 Sacramento reports (Twitter link). Fox spoke in front of his teammates and took ownership during the tough slide, teammate Keegan Murray relayed.
Warriors guard Dennis Schröder struggled through his first five games with Golden State after starting off the year hot with Brooklyn. In his last five games, Schröder averaged 8.2 points on 28.0% shooting as opposed to the 18.4 points on 45.2% shooting he posted with the Nets. However, coach Steve Kerr said he’s not worried about Schröder’s play, according to Slater (Twitter link). “You trust who the player has been. It’s a tiny sample size,” Kerr said. “He came to us at a time when we were ice cold. He needs shooting around him. He’s a pick-and-roll player. We were 7-for-38 tonight from three.”
The Lakers are getting healthier, providing Los Angeles a reason for optimism, Dan Woike of the Los Angeles Times writes. Jaxson Hayes is now day-to-day and close to returning while head coach JJ Redick said there’s hope both Christian Wood and Jarred Vanderbilt will be able to make their season debuts during an upcoming stretch that includes nine of 11 games at home.

Western Notes: Malone, Brown, Suns, Mavs, Pels, Morant, Kawamura

December 27th, 2024 at 11:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, who was the head coach in Sacramento for a season-and-a-half from 2013-14, didn’t hold back in his criticism of his former employer for the way the Kings handled Mike Brown‘s dismissal, as Bennett Durando of The Denver Post relays.

“What really pissed me off about it was that they lost (Thursday) night, fifth game in a row, I believe — tough loss, fouling a jump-shooter — they have practice this morning, he does his post-(practice) media, and he’s in his car going to the airport to fly to L.A.,” Malone said. “And they call him on the phone (to fire him). No class. No balls. That’s what I’ll say about that.”

Malone said he was initially “really shocked and surprised” when he heard that Brown had been fired, but quickly realized the news wasn’t all that unexpected for two reasons.

“One, because as an NBA head coach, ultimately you’re going to get the blame,” Malone said. “When they win, it’s going to go to (Domantas) Sabonis and (De’Aaron) Fox. When you lose, it’s gonna go to Mike Brown. That’s the way it works. And two, who he works for. So I’m not surprised that Mike Brown got fired, because I got fired by the same person.”

We have more from around the Western Conference:

Fines and/or suspensions could be coming after Suns center Jusuf Nurkic and Mavericks forwards Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington were ejected from Friday’s game for their roles in a fourth-quarter altercation (Twitter video link). As Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic details, Nurkic was called for an offensive foul and began heading toward his basket before turning back and exchanging words with Marshall and Washington. The incident escalated when Nurkic slapped Marshall in the side of the head. Marshall responded by throwing a punch at Nurkic as the Suns big man was shoved to the floor by Washington.
In the wake of Thursday’s 17-point home loss to Houston, Pelicans head coach Willie Green bemoaned his club’s “lack of competitiveness,” telling reporters, “We were just soft tonight. Period” (Twitter link via Will Guillory of The Athletic). New Orleans followed up that performance with another loss – its ninth in a row – on Friday at home vs. the Grizzlies and now has a 5-27 record.
Grizzlies star Ja Morant exited Friday’s win over New Orleans early due to a right shoulder ailment. While it didn’t look in the moment like a significant injury, it’s the same shoulder that Morant had surgically repaired last January, so the team figures to play it safe with its franchise player. According to head coach Taylor Jenkins, Morant will be reevaluated within the “next couple days” to determine the severity of the injury, tweets Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com.
Two-way guard Yuki Kawamura has only logged 41 total minutes across 14 outings for the Grizzlies, but the Japanese rookie has made Memphis the NBA’s most popular team in his home country this season. Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal has the story.

Kings Fire Mike Brown

December 27th, 2024 at 10:37pm CST by Rory Maher

10:37pm: The Kings have put out a press release officially confirming that Brown has been let go and that Christie will be the team’s interim head coach.

“This was a difficult decision, and I want to thank Mike for his many contributions to the organization,” general manager Monte McNair said in a statement.

3:39pm: The Kings are firing head coach Mike Brown, sources tell ESPN’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Sam Amick of The Athletic confirms the news (via Twitter).

Brown just signed a three-year contract extension in June. He will reportedly be owed $25.5MM through 2026/27.

In his first season with Sacramento in 2022/23, Brown guided the franchise to a 48-34 record and its first playoff berth since 2006, winning the NBA’s Coach of the Year award. Despite racking up 46 more regular season wins in ’23/24, he and the Kings finished outside the top eight in the conference and were eliminated in the second game of the play-in tournament.

The Kings have been in a tailspin of late, dropping their fifth straight game — all at home — after a fourth-quarter collapse on Thursday vs. Detroit, as Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee writes. Sacramento led by 15 points with under eight minutes remaining, but wound up losing after Jaden Ivey converted a four-point play when the Pistons were down three.

“To relax like that at that point in the game was tough,” Brown said. “I also don’t like the pace we had in the last six minutes. I kept telling our guys, ‘Push it, push it, push it, drive it, kick it,’ just like we did most of the game, and we come to a complete stop with about six minutes to go. Three minutes to go, we’re rolling the ball and walking it, going against a set defense every time. Somehow, someway, we have to pay attention to the little details.”

The Kings entered the season with playoff expectations, but are currently just 13-18, the No. 12 seed in the West — they’re three games behind the final play-in spot.

Overall, the 54-year-old compiled a 107-88 (.549) regular season record with Sacramento. The team lost its first-round playoff series to Golden State in 2023 in seven games.

As detailed by multiple local reporters (all Twitter links), Brown just ran a full practice and spoke to the media literally minutes before Charania broke the news.

It’s unclear who will serve as Sacramento’s interim head coach, but the team’s most experienced assistant (he’s technically an associate head coach) is Jay Triano. The 66-year-old had previous head coaching stints with Toronto and Phoenix.

[UPDATE: Doug Christie Will Be Kings’ Interim Head Coach]

Known for his defensive acumen, Brown was an assistant with Washington, San Antonio and Indiana before he got his first head coaching job with Cleveland in 2005. He also coached the Lakers and had a second one-year stint with the Cavs. Prior to being hired by Sacramento, he was the top assistant on Steve Kerr‘s staff with Golden State for six seasons.

Kings’ Mike Brown Fined $35K By NBA

November 26th, 2024 at 11:46am CST by Luke Adams

Kings head coach Mike Brown has been fined to the tune of $35K for “aggressively pursuing a game official during live play,” the NBA announced today in a press release (Twitter link).

The incident took place in the second quarter of Sacramento’s loss to Brooklyn on Sunday (Twitter video link).

Brown was upset after no foul was called on Nets guard Ben Simmons, who contested a fast-break layup attempt by Colby Jones and sent the Kings guard to the floor (video link via NBA.com). The miss, which was ruled a clean block by Simmons despite apparent contact, led to a Brooklyn three-pointer on the other end of the court.

Brown, who followed referee Scott Twardoski up the court after the Nets’ make, berating him for the non-call, was charged with a technical foul for his outburst.

This is hardly a first-time offense for Brown. The Kings’ head coach was also fined $25K by the NBA in December 2022 for “aggressively pursuing and directing profane language” toward a game official and was hit with a $50K fine in January 2024 for “aggressively pursuing” a referee and then criticizing the officiating in his post-game media session.

New York Notes: Nets Injuries, Martin, Fernandez, Anunoby

November 25th, 2024 at 8:17pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Nets are riddled with injuries heading into their game at Golden State on Monday. Noah Clowney and Dorian Finney-Smith are nursing ankle sprains, while Day’Ron Sharpe (hamstring) and Ben Simmons (lower back injury management) are also sitting out, Brian Lewis of the New York Post tweets.

Clowney rolled his ankle during the fourth quarter of Brooklyn’s game against Sacramento on Sunday, according to Lewis. Dennis Schroder, who didn’t play Sunday, was listed as questionable with right ankle soreness but he’ll play.

We have more on the New York teams:

Nets two-way forward Jaylen Martin suffered a potentially serious right knee injury while playing for the G League Long Island Nets on Sunday, Scott Mitchell of NetsDaily.com relays. Martin was writhing in pain after injuring the knee during a game against Raptors 905. The injury was so severe that his teammates quickly formed a shroud of towels around him to shield him from view. He was carried off on a stretcher.
Brooklyn’s 108-103 win over Sacramento on Sunday was special for first-year Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez. The Kings are coached by his mentor, Mike Brown. “First of all, I wanted to get the victory for our players. And then with all my respect to [Brown], because he is more than my mentor. Obviously, you want to beat everybody, and they were in front of us. So, with that said, we did our best to win. It means the world to me, because he’s the person that brought me here,” Fernandez told Lewis. “So, circle of life that we got back together. And I would not be where I am today without him. So, special moment for me.”
OG Anunoby nailed seven 3-pointers while scoring 27 points in a loss to the Jazz on Saturday. That was his highest offensive output since joining the Knicks last season, Peter Botte of the New York Post notes. Anunoby added three steals and two blocked shots, giving the team something positive to take from the game. “All-around [game],” coach Tom Thibodeau said. “I want him to be decisive. When he plays like that, it’s much more effective for all of us. When he’s cutting decisively, when he catches, and he’s down and ready and balanced and takes shots. … He gets into a good rhythm.”

Kings Notes: Ellis, Huerter, Injuries, Jones, Brown, Murray, DeRozan

October 7th, 2024 at 11:51am CST by Luke Adams

There’s no question that Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, DeMar DeRozan, and Keegan Murray will be part of the Kings‘ starting lineup this fall, but the fifth member of that group has yet to be locked in, as James Ham of The Kings Beat and Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee write.

Malik Monk, Kevin Huerter, and Keon Ellis are all realistic candidates to start at shooting guard for Sacramento. However, it seems likely that Monk will reprise the sixth-man role he thrived in last season. Huerter, meanwhile, hasn’t yet been cleared for full-contact work after undergoing surgery in late March to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

That may make Ellis the frontrunner to start alongside Fox in Sacramento’s backcourt. As Anderson writes, Ellis’ ability to play good defense and to operate on offense without the ball in his hands also makes him a good fit in the team’s starting group, whereas Monk and Huerter could handle a larger offensive load with the second unit.

“If you think about it, Keon, out of all three of those guys, is probably the one who will command the least amount of shots and/or the time the ball is in his hands,” head coach Mike Brown said last week. “He’s shown the last two years that he’s a capable catch-and-shoot shooter, and if you leave him open, he’ll make you pay on the catch-and-shoot shot from the three-point line. He shot 40-something percent from three in both years, so for us that is a little bit of a factor, making sure we put the right combinations on the floor that fit instead of just trying to throw guys out there because we think those guys can all score the best.”

Here’s more on the Kings:

Huerter, who was cleared for on-court workouts near the end of August, said he’s feeling good about the progress he’s made and is eager to advance to the final stage of his rehab process, per Anderson. “The last step for me is really just getting 5-on-5 full contact,” Huerter said. “I haven’t gone contact against a player yet. I haven’t been cleared to do that, but everything else. I’ve been 1-on-0 for four months now. … Itching to get back and go against somebody else.”
The Kings are battling the injury bug this fall, with Huerter and Devin Carter recovering from shoulder surgeries and Trey Lyles (groin), Jordan McLaughlin (ankle), and Orlando Robinson (knee) all dealing with health issues of their own. According to Ham, McLaughlin is expected to be back within the next few days and Huerter should be cleared for contact around the middle of the month, while Lyles will probably be sidelined until the end of the preseason schedule. Robinson and Carter will remain out for the start of the season.
As Anderson details in a separate story for The Sacramento Bee, Brown delivered a profanity-laced tirade near the end of a Saturday scrimmage. As the Kings’ head coach later explained, two-way player Mason Jones capped off a “really, really good day” by turning the ball over and giving up on the last couple plays of the day. Brown responded by calling out Jones and several of his vets. “I got on Foxy and Domas and DeMar a little bit because those three guys can’t let that slide,” he said. “I shouldn’t have to be the one saying that we all have to hold each other accountable. … We all have to hold each other accountable all the time, and if our vets see something like that from a young guy in Mason, then you’ve got to let him know, ‘Hey, Mace, you had a good day, but we can’t finish like that.'”
In another story for The Sacramento Bee, Anderson explores how Murray can continue to grow as a player as the former No. 4 overall pick enters his third NBA season.
A Los Angeles native, DeRozan hasn’t played for one of his hometown teams since entering the NBA in 2009, but he’s thrilled to be living in California again as a member of the Kings, so close to his family in L.A., he recently told Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “It means so much,” DeRozan said. “Even one of my daughters, she is asking every day when she can come up — even a day where she could just come up for a day, spend time with me and go back. Her knowing that gives her excitement. That makes me extremely happy.”

Kings, Mike Brown Agree To Extension

June 1st, 2024 at 5:29am CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have agreed to a contract extension with head coach Mike Brown, according to reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The two sides, who had been discussing a new deal this spring, briefly tabled those talks last week when they couldn’t find common ground. The Kings had reportedly offered a three-year, $21MM deal that could have been worth up to $27MM in bonuses, while Brown was said to be seeking a $10MM annual salary.

According to Wojnarowski and Charania, Brown’s new three-year agreement will feature annual base salaries of $8.5MM, but could reach $10MM per year via incentives. That means it’ll be worth at least $25.5MM over three seasons and could max out at $30MM.

The deal will replace Brown’s $4MM salary for 2024/25 (and his mutual option for ’25/26) and will run through the ’26/27 season, reports Wojnarowski.

Brown has led the Kings to a 94-70 (.573) overall regular season record since taking the reins from Alvin Gentry.

In his first season in 2022/23, he guided the franchise to a 48-34 record and its first playoff berth since 2006, winning the NBA’s Coach of the Year award. Despite racking up 46 more regular season wins in ’23/24, Brown and the Kings finished outside the top eight in the conference and were eliminated in the second game of the play-in tournament.

As Wojnarowski observes, Brown is the first Kings head coach to have a winning record in his first two years with the team since Rick Adelman from 1998-2000.

With Brown locked up to a new deal, the first step of the Kings’ offseason is complete. The club can now shift its focus to roster decisions, including whether or not it will be able to re-sign free agent wing Malik Monk. Sacramento holds Early Bird rights on Monk, giving the team the ability to offer him up to $78MM over four years.

Kings Offered Mike Brown Three-Year Extension

May 30th, 2024 at 7:36pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Kings have offered incumbent head coach Mike Brown a three-year, $21MM contract extension that would keep him under team control through the 2026/27 season, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The deal offered by Sacramento could be worth up to $27MM with bonuses, per Charania.

Brown, who is seeking something in the neighborhood of $10MM annually, has not agreed to the offer thus far, Charania adds.

As Kurt Helin of NBC Sports notes (Twitter link), the offer represents half the per-season value of Clippers coach Tyronn Lue‘s just-signed five-year extension (which is said to be worth nearly $70MM) and is for two fewer years.

Sacramento has gone 94-70 during its two regular seasons under Brown, and has made the postseason both times, though the team didn’t get a full playoff series this spring.

Brown was named the league’s Coach of the Year (for the second time in his career) for returning the Kings to the playoffs for the first time in 16 seasons during a charmed 2022/23 run that saw the team finish with a 48-34 record and the Western Conference’s third seed. The Kings fell in seven games to the sixth-seeded Warriors last spring.

In 2023/24, the 46-36 Kings were merely the No. 9 seed in a more crowded West and did not advance beyond the play-in tournament, although they did beat the No. 10 Warriors in their first play-in game.

Prior to his Kings tenure, Brown was the associate head coach for Golden State from 2016-22, wining three titles under head coach Steve Kerr. Before that, he served two stints as the head coach of the Cavaliers, making one Finals appearance, and coached the Lakers. He boasts a 441-286 overall regular season record as a head coach, plus a 50-40 playoff record.

Stein’s Latest: Redick, Cavaliers’ Coaching Search, M. Brown, Kleber

May 27th, 2024 at 10:04am CST by Arthur Hill

J.J. Redick has several assistants in mind if he becomes the Lakers‘ next head coach, sources tell Marc Stein (Substack link). The ESPN broadcaster is believed to be the frontrunner to land the job, and Stein cites this latest rumor as more evidence that L.A. is leaning toward hiring Redick.

According to Stein, Redick hopes to add Celtics assistant Sam Cassell and Pelicans assistant James Borrego, who both interviewed for the head coaching job and were described by The Athletic as “the initial leading targets” along with Redick two weeks ago.

Redick would also like to land Mavericks assistant Jared Dudley, who finished his career with the Lakers in 2021, Stein’s sources say. Dudley reportedly built strong relationships with LeBron James and Anthony Davis during that time.

Stein offers more inside information from around the league:

Terry Stotts is among the head coaching candidates being considered by the Cavaliers, according to Stein’s sources. If Cleveland plans to keep Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland together, it could be beneficial to hire Stotts, who was successful in Portland with a similar small backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. Warriors assistant Kenny Atkinson is considered to be the leading candidate to replace J.B. Bickerstaff, but Stein confirms that Borrego, former Cavs coaching consultant Dave Joerger and Knicks associate head coach Johnnie Bryant are among the other names under consideration. Bryant previously worked with Mitchell in Utah. Atkinson has reportedly received endorsements from Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert, whom he coached in Brooklyn.
Mike Brown’s salary demands and the Kings‘ lack of postseason success have led to a stalemate in extension talks, Stein adds. Both sides recently agreed to table negotiations on a new deal, which means Brown could enter next season as a lame-duck coach. He has a four-year contract, but the final season is a mutual option, which means he and the team would both have to opt in.
Stein hears that the Mavericks remain optimistic about a potential Maxi Kleber return if they reach the NBA Finals. The versatile big man has been sidelined since separating his right shoulder May 3 in the final game of the first-round series against the Clippers.