A phone call is all it takes to fire someone. Well, you didn’t know that? Shocking! At least, that’s how Vivek Ranadive worked it out with Sacramento Kings’ HC Mike Brown. Is it even right to not use ex or former before Brown’s name now? Too many questions and very few answers, besides, the Kings’ disheartening 2024-25 campaign. Meanwhile, the Denver Nuggets HC, Michael Malone added to the story, reminding the NBA verse how he too became a victim of Sacramento’s front office, with Ranadive holding the reins.

Coach Malone blasted the Kings and their $700 million-worth owner for firing coach Mike Brown over the phone on his way to the airport for the Kings’ next game. The Nuggets ringmaster brutally commented: “When you win, it’s Fox and Sabonis, when you lose, it’s on Mike Brown. That’s how it works… I’m not surprised he was fired because I was fired by the same person.”

Vivek Ranadive fired Michael Malone, who served as the head coach of the Sacramento Kings during the 2013-14 season. And it looks like the 53-year-old championship-winning coach holds a bit of a grudge even to this day. He went the extra mile ripping his former team and the owner for exhibiting “no class.”

Thus the Sacramento natives and fans are just appreciating Coach Malone for his honesty and no-filter-while-calling-out stance against their home team’s management.

Michael Malone rallies support with fiery callout of Sacramento Kings over Mike Brown firing

“Let him cook,” a fan commented on X. Mike Malone’s honest hit at the Kings’ front office shows that they’ve been odd around their head coaches in the past as well. Besides, Malone is no stranger to the Kings and their ways around the competition. Moreover, the way Coach Brown was fired has infuriated the fans. The 54-year-old was heading to the airport to board the team airplane and the shocking news arrived via a phone call. Brutal!

Another fan said: “GET EM MOACH.” Coaches need time to fix a team’s flaws. Both Mike Brown and Michael Malone have faced pressure due to the Kings’ struggles which eventually drove them out of the team. Meanwhile, Sacramento, 12th in the West, fired Brown out of desperation. And the Nuggets, 7th in the West, continue to trust Malone after a decade.

But a critic slammed Malone saying: “The way the Nuggets are playing your seat might be next…” Seventh in the points table, 2023 champions, and a bittersweet 16-13 record so far in the ongoing NBA season. Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, and others indeed need to step up their games on the court when they need it the most. But will the Denver Nuggets fire Michael Malone? Well, it looks most unlikely for now. But then, who knows what happens in this thriller called The NBA?!

Someone suggested, “Kings need to be sold to another owner and put in another state.” The odds of this happening soon? Hard to say. But Sacramento loves having its own team. Despite changing six coaches, including Mike Brown, the Kings’ record remains poor. It’s time to realize that the problem might go beyond the coaches. The Kings need to identify the bigger issue.

“Maybe the Cavs will hire him again someday,” Mike Brown’s well-wisher hoped. Coach Brown has closely associated with the Cleveland Cavaliers in the past. He coached the team twice, in 2005-10 and then again in 2013-14. Although he did not win a championship with the team, it took Ty Lue to break the curse and end the drought. Cavs fans dearly loved Brown, just as Denver reveres Michael Malone.

Another Sacramento Kings fan confessed: “As a Kings fan, I will forever like Michael Malone. No reason he should have been fired and no reason Mike Brown should have been let go. This is what Kings fans have to deal with.” Sacramento is tired of the endless trial-and-error. The front office needs something solid. They need to believe, “This will work.” Firing Malone and now Brown may not have been the answer.

As tricky as it may be, the Sacramento Kings under Vivek Ranadive’s leadership are navigating through the rough tides of the NBA. Not only Michael Malone but also coaches like Rick Carlisle are calling them out. And now, what awaits the team in the upcoming days will be worth the watch. Isn’t it?