The first coach to be fired in the 2024-25 season has been announced, and it's not who you might expect. It's not Rivers, Redick, or Kerr, but rather Mike Brown of the Kings! It seems that Brown is always on the verge of being fired.
The team announced Brown's dismissal just before boarding a flight to Los Angeles for an away game, with assistant coach Doug Christie temporarily taking over the head coaching position. Prior to this, Brown had just completed a training session and conducted a 15-minute interview, only to find out he wouldn't be needed to fly to Los Angeles after all.
Everything happened so suddenly! During his interview, Brown said, "When you're in trouble, you'll know who will help you." Just five minutes after saying this, news of his dismissal came through.
So, the answer is: no one helps you. This summer, the Kings renewed Brown's contract for three years at $30 million (the contract expires in the 2026-27 season), so even though they've let him go, they still have to pay him.
At the time of the renewal, it was said that Brown had broken the Kings' 20-year curse. Before Brown, the Kings hadn't renewed a coach's contract in 20 years; every coach either served one term or was dismissed before their contract expired.
However, this curse seems to have only been half-averted, as Brown's dismissal still came about.
Recalling the 2022-23 season, when Brown left his assistant coaching position with the Warriors to join the Kings, he was still considered a sweetheart. That year, Brown was even named Coach of the Year.
Many people said that Kerr managed to keep his head coaching position for those two years solely because of Mike Brown. In the season immediately following Brown's departure, Warrior fans were quite nostalgic for him.
So, can the Warriors finally bring back this assistant coach now?
Who could forget when Brown served as interim head coach for the Warriors during the playoffs, leading them to a 12-0 record?
In Brown's first season with the Kings, the team transformed from being at the bottom of the Western Conference to ranking third in the regular season standings, making it to the playoffs.
At the end of the 2022-23 season, the Kings were full of hope for the future, believing they were on the rise.
However, in the 2023-24 season, the Kings failed to make the playoffs again.
So far this season, the Kings have a record of 13 wins and 18 losses, ranking 12th in the West, currently on a five-game losing streak.
They're back to where they were before Brown joined the Kings!
Some speculate that poor performance may not be the main reason for Brown's dismissal; discord between the coach and players might be the real cause.
After all, Brown publicly criticized Fox at a press conference yesterday, and news of his dismissal came today, which is hard not to think about.
Yesterday, with more than ten seconds left in the game and the Kings leading by three points, Fox committed a 3+1 foul in the final moments, resulting in the team being reversed by the Pistons.
After the game, Brown openly criticized star player Fox, saying, "This was a tough loss; at the very least, we should have gone into overtime. This is the worst-case scenario; at that point, you shouldn't be rushing to defend a three-point shooter under any circumstances."
Is there a problem with Brown's criticism?
However, during the training session before Brown's dismissal, he and Fox still had a friendly exchange. Therefore, the reason for the dismissal should be multifaceted.
This season, Fox averages 37.2 minutes per game, shooting 9.7 out of 20.1 attempts, making 2.1 out of 6.2 three-pointers, scoring 26.2 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and dishing out 6.1 assists.
He is one of only ten players in the league averaging over 20 shots per game.
By the way, do you know who has the highest average number of shots this season?
It's Ball!
Take a look at the top 10 shot rankings in the league right now; doesn't it give you a feeling that you don't know how to evaluate it?
Do you think the Kings' current predicament can be solved by replacing a coach? The Kings have changed coaches many times over the years, but has it ever solved the problem?
I always feel that Fox is unlikely to stay long.
It's rumored that if Fox requests to leave, teams like the Spurs, Lakers, Rockets, Heat, and Lakers will become potential destinations for him.