Nuggets coach puts Kings on blast for cowardly firing of Mike Brown

The Sacramento Kings fired head coach Mike Brown on Friday, ending his tenure after 2.5 seasons. Brown won 2023 Coach of the Year honors and finishes his Sacramento stint with a 107-88 record. The Kings made the postseason for the first time in 17 years with Brown walking the sideline.

Despite all he did to rebuild the culture in Sacramento and change the perception of that franchise, however, Brown was let go as tumult overwhelmed the locker room this season. There have been signs of disconnect between Brown and his players, and the Kings simply could not abide five straight losses, which dropped Sacramento to 13-18 and 12th place in a competitive Western Conference.

It is also no coincidence that De'Aaron Fox has been at the center of trade rumors lately. Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul recently met with Kings leadership to discuss the direction of the franchise. One can't help but connect the dots, right or wrong.

What reeks the most, however, is the way in which Brown was fired. Not after a tough loss on Thursday night. Not early Friday morning. But midday, after he held a full practice, spoke with the media and was in his car on his way to the airport to fly out with the team. Kings ownership couldn't fire Brown in person. They did it over the phone. That's rotten.

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Nuggets head coach Michael Malone takes aim at Kings over poor handling of Mike Brown exit

Fans and peers alike were justifiably upset by the handling of Brown's exit. Sacramento under owner Vivek Ranadivé has long held the reputation of being a poorly run franchise, but beyond the constant on-court failure and personnel overhaul, the Kings just need to treat folks better.

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, a former Kings coach who was himself canned by the same ownership group under controversial circumstances, did not hold back when asked about Brown's firing.

"No class. No balls."

That is an all-time quote. The full statement is quite illuminating, with Malone saying he is not surprised by Brown's firing because of "who he works for." That is a rather unambiguous shot at Ranadivé and the Kings organization as a whole.

George Karl, another former Kings head coach, expressed a similar sentiment on X.

One might hope that Ranadivé and the Kings' decision-makers take these criticisms to heart and try to build a more cohesive and enduring relationship with the next head coach in Sacramento, but history suggests otherwise. The Kings will continue to fold at the first sign of trouble and stab those who mean something to the organization in the back. It's the Kangz way.

Brown, meanwhile, is presumably on to greener pastures. He's a tremendous head coach who overhauled a shoddy Kings defense and embraced the right offensive principles from his time under Steve Kerr in Golden State. He will get another job and probably succeed, while the Kings are under pressure to adequately replace an accomplished coach without alienating their star point guard. I'm sure nothing will go wrong.