ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Not even two years ago, Rick Carlisle publicly lauded Mike Brown for the job he did on the way to winning the NBA’s coach of the year award.
And on Friday, Carlisle was among a slew of coaches reacting with dismay — some even with anger — that Brown was fired.
The Sacramento Kings dismissed Brown on Friday, with the team off to a 13-18 start this season and mired toward the bottom of the Western Conference — despite back-to-back winning seasons, something that franchise hadn’t managed in nearly two decades.
“The firing of Mike Brown today was just shocking to me and I’m sure all the people in our profession — men and women,” said Carlisle, the Indiana Pacers coach and longtime president of the National Basketball Coaches Association. “I had the privilege of working with Mike when I was in Indiana coaching the first time. I view him as one of the standard bearers for integrity for our profession. And I’m just absolutely shocked that that decision was made.”
Carlisle — who offered those sentiments, unprompted, to open his pregame media session before the Pacers visited Boston on Friday night — wasn’t alone on that front.
Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone — who was fired by Sacramento owner Vivek Ranadive in December 2014, and Brown was the sixth coach to hold that job in the decade since Malone’s departure — did not hold back in his reaction to the news, saying the firing was done with “no class.”
“As an NBA head coach, ultimately, you’re going to get the blame,” Malone said. “When they win, it’s going to go to (Domantas) Sabonis and (De’Aaron) Fox. When you lose, it’s going to go to Mike Brown. That’s the way it works.”
Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said coaches understand that the job is often thankless, and that when a team underachieves there’s a risk of firings. He said it’s not his place to discuss another team’s decision-making — but made clear what he thinks of Brown as a coach and as a person.
“He compiled a record of 107-88 while he was there,” Mosley said. “He changed a bit of that culture in what he was doing. And I say these things not as a fellow coach. I say this as a close friend. He’s been a mentor of mine. And I know how good he is, and I know how he cares, and I know how he’s helped pave the way for so many of us that are in this game right now.”
Brown was the unanimous winner of the NBA’s coach of the year award in 2022-23, after his first season in Sacramento saw the Kings make the playoffs for the first time since 2006. All 100 voters from a panel of reporters and broadcasters had Brown atop their ballot that year.
Less than two years later, he was gone.
“You hate to see it,” said New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau, who, like Brown, is a two-time NBA coach of the year. “You know, it’s part of what we go through. Mike’s a terrific person and a great coach. It’s unfortunate.”
Golden State coach Steve Kerr said he understands that the Kings were struggling of late, but still expressed disappointment that Brown — his former assistant and a longtime close friend — was let go.
“We all kind of know, this is the nature of the business,” Kerr said. “It just seems so shocking when a guy’s the unanimous coach of the year a year and a half ago and when you think about where that franchise was before Mike got there … really shocking.”
The change in Sacramento is the ninth head-coaching change in the NBA in 2024 alone — and the 300th in the NBA since Gregg Popovich, the league’s longest-tenured current coach, became coach in San Antonio in 1996. Popovich is currently away from the Spurs while recovering from a stroke.
Brown has had four different jobs in that span — he was head coach in Cleveland, then head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, then returned to Cleveland, and until Friday had the job in Sacramento.
“He’ll certainly land on his feet,” Carlisle said. “But if you look at the job that he did and the turnaround that he had, it’s just really hard to believe that this decision was made. But teams have the right to do things like this, obviously. It’s their decision. But Mike’s a great man and a great basketball man. Really one of the pillars of our profession. Anyway. Onward.”
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AP Sports Writer Kyle Hightower in Boston contributed.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
The NBA world was left in shock today as news broke that the Golden State Warriors had fired head coach Mike Brown, a two-time coach of the year. Brown, who had been serving as the team’s associate head coach, was let go after just one season in the role.
NBA coaches around the league reacted with dismay over the news, expressing their disbelief and disappointment at the decision. Many noted Brown’s proven track record of success and his ability to lead and develop players.
“Mike Brown is one of the best coaches in the league, and it’s a shame to see him let go like this,” said one unnamed coach. “He’s a great teacher of the game and has a proven track record of success. It’s a loss for the Warriors and for the league as a whole.”
Others pointed out the challenges that come with coaching in the NBA and the pressure to produce results quickly. “It’s a tough business, and sometimes decisions are made that don’t make sense to the rest of us,” said another coach. “But Mike Brown will bounce back. He’s a resilient coach and a great basketball mind. I have no doubt he’ll land on his feet.”
As the NBA world comes to terms with the surprising news, many are left wondering what the future holds for Mike Brown and where his coaching career will take him next. One thing is for certain: his impact on the game and the players he has coached will not be forgotten.
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