Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone weighed in on the abrupt firing of Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown on Friday night before his team took on the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Malone had some things to say about his former employer.
According to KXTV’s Matt George, the Kings informed Brown of his termination before the team boarded a flight to Los Angeles ahead of the Kings’ matchup against the Lakers on Saturday. Brown had just run a full practice for the team and talked to the media for 15 minutes before he was ultimately let go, George added.
Malone said the Kings organization displayed ‘no class’ and ‘no balls’ in handling the situation.
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‘What really pissed me off about it was that they lost last night, fifth game in a row,’ Malone said. ‘They have practice this morning, (Brown) does his post-(practice) media, and he’s in his car going to the airport to fly to L.A.,’ Malone said. ‘And they call him on the phone. No class. No balls.’
Michale Malone ‘not surprised’ by Kings
Malone has been in Brown’s shoes before. He was hired as Sacramento’s head coach in June 2013 and his team finished 28-54 in his first season. Malone was fired 24 games into his second season as head coach after the Kings got off to an 11-13 start. Malone was hired by the Nuggets in June 2015 and is now in his 10th season with a championship on his resume.
‘At first, I was really shocked and surprised,’ Malone said about Brown’s firing on Friday. ‘Then I caught myself. … I’m not surprised Mike Brown got fired, because I got fired by the same person.’
Brown, who previously was a head coach for Cleveland and the Los Angeles Lakers and spent six seasons as an assistant with Golden State under Steve Kerr, was 107-88 in two-plus seasons with the Kings. He led the Kings to the playoffs with a 48-34 record in 2022-23, ending a 16-year postseason drought.
Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle ‘shocked’
Malone wasn’t the only NBA head coach to weigh in. Indiana Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said he was ‘absolutely shocked’ the Kings fired Brown.
“The firing of Mike Brown today was just shocking to me,’ Carlisle said. ‘I view him as one of the standard bearers for integrity for our profession, and I’m just, just absolutely shocked.’
Brooklyn Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez pointed out that Brown was Coach of the Year in 2023.
“He’s very good at what he does. In my opinion, one of the best. I wouldn’t be here without him,’ Fernandez said. ‘It’s sad news. I don’t like it. It’s part of the business. A year and a half ago he’s Coach of the Year and now this situation happens”
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