“I know they’ve been in a tough spell, but this is the NBA. We all go through tough spells.” Steve Kerr was just one voice, amongst many, who highlighted surprise at the Kings‘ recent move. After coaching the team for 2 years, they recently fired Mike Brown. The decision comes amid the franchise’s 13-18 record and the fact that Sactown lost all 5 of their most recent home matchups. Losing the head coach in the middle of a season can certainly have an impact on the players, especially when they haven’t been performing to the level we would expect them to. Despite this, JJ Redick highlighted that such a situation should be a predictable phenomenon.

Before the Lakers-Kings game, JJ Redick participated in the presser. His team would be the first one to go up against the Sacramento side without Mike Brown at the helm. Therefore, the Lakers boss was certainly asked about his thoughts. He highlighted the respect he holds for Brown. Having transitioned into head coaching quite recently, he revealed that people in his profession are not immune from being fired. “I knew this when I decided to do this. It’s a tough profession. It’s a tough profession for job security. But it’s what we signed up for.” After all, Redick himself got the head coach job after the Lakers cut ties with Darvin Ham, after 2 years.

The current situation would certainly be disappointing for many. However, it is the 40-year-old’s belief that stood out, “As it relates to tonight, this is something we’ve talked about in the last 24 hours a bunch, there are numerous examples throughout the NBA where a player gets traded, a player gets released, coach is fired mid-season, and a team has a new energy and there’s like this instant sort of boost to the aura. Going into this game, we’re expecting to get their best tonight”.

Amidst the Kings’ poor record, some people may have expected changes to take place. However, many would’ve wanted player trades instead. Furthermore, firing a head coach mid-season isn’t unheard of, but still doesn’t happen too often. As a result, De’Aaron Fox went on to state, “It was surprising. I found out a minute before everyone else did”. At the same time, however, Fox also added, “I mean, obviously, we all know the job that we have. You can be traded at any point, released, cut, fired, whatever it may be.”

Believe it or not, the recent incident doesn’t mark the first time that someone fired Mike Brown mid-season. Ironically, it was the Los Angeles Lakers who had earlier given the mastermind the boot mid-season. They fired him back in November 2012. In fact, according to ESPN, the team fired Mike Brown right after five games, marking the third-fastest coaching change in NBA history at the time.

Therefore, many would not have appreciated the déjà vu. Despite this, Steve Kerr didn’t mind taking a dig at the former HC’s expense.

Despite being shocked at Mike Brown’s firing, Steve Kerr didn’t hold back while highlighting his longevity!

Mike Brown and Darvin Ham may have recently created an impression that head coaches don’t last for more than 2 years. The same, however, hasn’t been true for Steve Kerr at all. Having joined the Golden State Warriors back in 2014, the former Bulls champion has helped Stephen Curry and Co. secure 4 titles, and establish win records that even put his former Bulls team’s retro displays to shame!

However, the Bay has not produced a good streak of results over the last couple of seasons. Despite this, amidst discussions of head coaches who may face the chopping block next, pundits seldom mention Steve Kerr’s name. Even the 59-year-old realized this.

In a recent statement, Kerr highlighted his reaction to Brown’s firing by deeming it “shocking.” At the same time, he also indicated that something like this is part of the nature of this business. But he ended up boasting a little when he said, “I just know that I feel very fortunate to work in an org that really values continuity and that allows our team and our staff and our group to get through the rough patches. Because every team in the league is going to face these rough stretches like we’re going through right now.”

Wow! Very few people in the world can say that they have complete ‘job security’. Unfortunately, NBA head coaches are not among them at all. Wherever Mike Brown ends up next, one can hope that he too finds an organization that “really values continuity”…