Kings HC Seemingly Shades Mike Brown After GM Breaks Silence Over Controversial Firing

The Sacramento Kings turned some heads a couple of weeks ago with a major organizational move that no one had anticipated– firing their head coach Mike Brown. And suddenly, a team that had been struggling with five straight losses was on a hot streak, winning seven games in a row. That’s the real shock. But what changed so drastically? The new interim coach offered an answer but it raised even more questions. Was it a shift in their strategy or a subtle dig at Brown’s coaching style?

Doug Christie was certainly in a position to smile throughout the entire postgame press conference last night. And why wouldn’t he? After all, his team had just wrapped up a 124-119 win against the Bulls and for Christie, it marked a 7-1 record since taking over. That’s definitely worth a pat on the back. During the Q&A session, the 54-year-old was asked to share some details on what he focused on while preparing the team for the Chicago matchup. “Win, more than anything,” Christie jokingly said.

But on a serious note, he added, “Trying to find a way. Like I said, Zach (LaVine) is an incredible player. So, like, you’re not going to stop him. But trying to find a way to slow him down. Trying to keep the guys positive about, you know, get back at it. I’m not going to call a timeout every time I think that there’s a flow. If it’s big enough, call a timeout. Otherwise, I trust you guys.” That shows the positive mindset he’s brought to the squad and it clearly worked. But there’s one more thing that helped. Christie continued, “You guys got to learn how to trust yourself in those moments where it gets hard, it gets tough. But we need to not micromanage the situation. You guys got to solve the riddle and the problem.” Doesn’t the micromanaging part ring a bell?

Back in the 2011-2012 season, when Mike Brown was coaching the Lakers, reports surfaced that players were frustrated. The reason? According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, it was Brown’s micromanaging approach that caused disruption within the Purple and Gold, which she mentioned in her “Brown’s X’s and O’s worry Lakers” article.

Now based on Christie’s response, it seems Brown tried to apply the same strategy in Sacramento. Could that have been the reason for his dismissal? There was no clear answer, as the team remained tight-lipped until recently when GM Monte McNair finally spoke about the firing.

Kings GM Monte McNair breaks silence on Mike Brown firing

The decision was made public by the franchise on December 27, a day after their loss to the Pelicans. Now, two weeks later, the general manager finally broke the silence in an exclusive interview with NBC Sports. McNair said, “I want to say how much we appreciate Mike and everything that he did for this organization and breaking the playoff drought.”

For 16 consecutive seasons, the Kings had failed to qualify for the playoffs, but it was Brown who made that possible in his first season, leading the team to the 2023 playoffs. So, he certainly deserves the praise. “I have the utmost respect for him, and, obviously, a tough decision when that time came,” McNair added. And that’s all that was said about the former head coach.

Sam Amick of The Athletic had stated that Brown believed owner Vivek Ranadive played a part in the decision. There were rumors swirling about the future of franchise star De’Aaron Fox with the Kings. That was something that pressurized the abrupt decision as per the insider’s report. Fox had hinted that he wanted to be part of a championship-contending team, and under Brown, the Kings didn’t appear to be on that path. So he was dismissed from his duties to secure Fox’s extension which he had earlier rejected. However, the GM did not mention anything about that controversy.

Without Brown, the team has found a healthier space, climbing the Western Conference standings with each big win. They are currently in the ninth spot with a 20-19 record. So ultimately, all’s well that ends well.