Mike Brown is gone! When he took the head coaching job in Sacramento two years ago, he made an instant impact by ending the Kings’ 16-year playoff drought. He also bagged the Coach of the Year honors for his accomplishment. However, things have only gone downhill since then, as the franchise is struggling to win games yet again. Sure enough, Vivek Ranadive thought it was time for a leadership change and sacked Brown earlier today. Ironically, Mike addressed the mounting pressure on him moments before his firing in his final Kings interview that is now going viral.

Addressing how he is dealing with the team’s recent struggles and the criticism that comes with it, Brown had candidly said, “You know it’s part of it. That’s why I get paid the money that I get paid.”

Yes, Mike has been a coach in this league for nearly three decades and he understands exactly the kind of pressure that comes with it. Such adversities also teach him a valuable lesson: “At the end of the day, you also know when you go through adverse times, you know who was there, who was truly there for you because people will jump off the bandwagon quick. And support wherever it may come from may not always be there.”

Turns out, he was right about his assessment as the Kings jumped off Brown’s bandwagon soon after his comments. Well, if you are aware of Ranadive’s track record, then this firing should not come as a surprise. Since taking over the franchise in 2013, he has let go of multiple head coaches, with Brown being the eighth! Before him came Alvin Gentry, Luke Walton, Dave Joerger, George Karl, Tyrone Corbin, Michael Malone, and Keith Smart.

Fortunately, it looks like Mike Brown was prepared for something like this to happen, as he said, “I’m okay with anybody criticizing me because again, I get paid to handle that. I get paid to get us through this… At the end of the day, you best believe imma handle all the smoke no matter where that smoke comes from.” But with him gone, who will Ranadive hire next?

Vivek Ranadive has three potential options to replace Mike Brown

Obviously, there is no time for the Kings to dwell in the past as they quickly need to find a new head coach to replace Brown and plug the losing. As per veteran insider Shams Charania, assistant coach Doug Christie will be the interim head coach until someone is hired for that role. And it is believed that if Christie does a good job, his position might end up getting turned into a permanent one. Well, he has been in Sacramento for four years and is well-versed with the team’s culture. So, it will be an easy transition for him and the team.

However, there are two other external options. The first one is Nuggets assistant coach David Adelman. Although he has never been a head coach, Adelman has been part of a winning culture in Denver for several years and even helped them win a championship last year. And he was even interviewed for the head coaching role by the Hornets, Lakers, and Cavs, earlier this summer.

Meanwhile, Timberwolves assistant coach Micah Nori is also a suitable guy for the job. Just like Adelman, he too has never been an HC but has helped the Wolves reach immense success during his tenure. With multiple available candidates, it’s time for Vivek Ranadive to find his franchise’s next talisman. Hopefully, whoever gets the job will not suffer the same fate as the previous eight!