Team Discord! Officially Terminated! The First to Leave Is Indeed Him
Beijing time, December 28th, according to ESPN's famous reporter Shams, the Kings and head coach Mike Brown have officially terminated their contract, parting ways. Assistant coach Doug Christie will serve as the interim head coach for the Kings. It is worth noting that during this offseason, the Kings just renewed their contract with Mike Brown for another three years at $30 million, which was set to expire in 2027.
In the 2022-23 season, Mike Brown led the Kings back to the playoffs after a 16-year absence, and he himself was awarded the Coach of the Year. It has only been a year and a half since then. However, due to the poor performance of the Kings this season and issues within the locker room, they have suffered five consecutive losses and are currently ranked 12th in the West with a record of 13 wins and 18 losses.
Yesterday, in the home game against the Pistons, with 10.8 seconds left, the Kings were leading by 3 points. If they could defend against the opponent's last attack, the Kings would win the game. The Pistons inbounded from the frontcourt sideline, and after a series of passes, Jaden Ivey received the ball at the baseline. He made an incredible 3+1 shot, causing Fox to miss his final shot, and Ivey completed the buzzer-beater.
No one expected this 3+1 buzzer-beater to become the catalyst for Mike Brown's dismissal. After the game, Mike Brown did not directly blame Fox, but spoke relatively tactfully: "At that moment, I thought our worst outcome should have been overtime. We should never rush to block the opponent's three-point shooter on the court."
Mike Brown also stated after the game: "During the timeout, I instructed two points: 1) We need to quickly foul and compete with the opponent in free throws; 2) We can allow the opponent to score two points, but absolutely not three points." This shot was undoubtedly Fox's mistake, but someone has to take responsibility for the loss, and the head coach often becomes the first person to leave the team.
There is a curse in the NBA: after winning the Best Coach award, it is often difficult to keep your job. Among the NBA's Best Coaches in the past ten years, only three have not been fired: Warriors' head coach Steve Kerr (2016), Knicks' head coach Tom Thibodeau (2021), and Thunder's head coach Mark Daigneault (2024). Currently, Kerr seems to be in danger.
In the 2021-22 season, Mike Brown served as the chief assistant coach for the Warriors and won the NBA championship with the team. The Kings immediately recruited him to be their head coach, and he has been in the position for exactly two and a half years. Now that Mike Brown is a free agent again, will he return to the Warriors as an assistant coach? He might take some time off first, as he will still receive his salary.
Mike Brown is the fifth head coach in today's NBA league to earn over ten million dollars per year. Even after being let go, the Kings will still have to pay him his remaining salary, so Brown does not need to rush to find a new job. Mike Brown was born on March 5, 1970. After graduating from university, he became an intern video editor for the Nuggets and became an assistant coach for the Wizards in 1997.
In 2005, Mike Brown became the head coach of the Cavaliers at the age of 35. In 2009, Brown won the NBA's Best Head Coach award and was fired in May 2010. In May 2011, Brown became the Lakers' head coach and returned to the Cavaliers in April 2013. He was fired again in May 2014 and joined the Warriors as an assistant coach in 2016.
Today, Mike Brown led the team through a complete training session and spent 15 minutes answering media interviews. Unexpectedly, he was let go right after the interview. Today, the Kings are flying to Los Angeles to face the Lakers tomorrow. Mike Brown can be considered to have done his duty! Finally, we welcome discussion: Which team do you think Brown is suitable to coach?