Mike Brown hired as Head Coach

Good thing?


  • Total voters
    104
as for the “Fox has defensive tools” I’m not as optimistic as most. We’ve seen him try on defense and he still gets blown by and sorta goes back to trying less after. Expecting him to become a plus defender reminds me of people expecting players to develop a 3 point shot, maybe sometimes but usually you get what you’re paying for.
I mostly agree. I still think Fox could have a couple of seasons as a mid level defender or be a contributing piece to a team that is well rated on defence, but he isn't exactly self motivated on that side of the ball.
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
I forget where I heard this. Last season, Fox was rated #2 in the NBA when guarding one of the top 30 scorers in the NBA. He also raked near the bottom when guarding the rest of the league. His problem isn't his ability to play defense, it's his focus or desire to play it against everyone.
He seems to step up against guys he has personal motivation for having been compared against, that's why I have hope. Also because defense is a lot more on the team/coaching/total package than entirely individual. Not even Davion looked good when Luke was coaching.
 
He seems to step up against guys he has personal motivation for having been compared against, that's why I have hope. Also because defense is a lot more on the team/coaching/total package than entirely individual. Not even Davion looked good when Luke was coaching.
When I played basketball, defense was my passion. Playing next to someone like Heild is very frustrating, because he constantly let's the defense break down by not paying attention to his man. It makes it hard to play team defense (always in scramble mode because of breakdowns). That leaves the option of 5 guys playing individual man defense, which always ends badly. That's not an excuse to stop playing defense, just an understanding of why a player might stop. It's why we have needed a coach who would hold players accountable if they don't play defense.
 
I forget where I heard this. Last season, Fox was rated #2 in the NBA when guarding one of the top 30 scorers in the NBA. He also raked near the bottom when guarding the rest of the league. His problem isn't his ability to play defense, it's his focus or desire to play it against everyone.
I would love to know the sample size of those stats.
 
I heard a Mike Brown story on a podcast last week. When he was with Cleveland, Anderson Varejao was coming back after an absence due to a contract dispute. Lebron was just coming back from an injury. Coach Brown asked Lebron to come off the bench so that when Anderson checked in to the game, Lebron would also check in and the home crowd would not boo Varejao. (They would instead cheer for Lebron).

He has that perfect blend of tell you the truth/coach ya hard and always propping them up and having their back.
 
Well, Mike Brown certainly would not have been my first choice. But he's got a winning pedigree, and that counts for something. And he's not Mark Jackson, and that counts for a lot, too. I would have liked a different approach for the Kings' head coaching search, a wider net cast that scooped up a few more worthy candidates to consider, especially since the less experienced candidates that they did interview seemed like they represented little more than feigning due diligence. They appear to have had their sights set on a steady, unsexy veteran hire, and I can appreciate that. It's less of a roll of the dice to hire Mike Brown, and who knows? Perhaps it works out. The road to respectability isn't leading straight to a championship. If Brown does nothing more than make the Kings a proper playoff-caliber team, then it will be a job well done.
While lukewarm on the Brown hire initially, it seems I was pretty measured in my appreciation for his steadiness. He's definitely exceeded my expectations in year one and I couldn't be more thrilled that he's captaining this ship.
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
Honestly gotta say it was the prospect of Mark Jackson that got me all in on Brown (and apparently looking at page one, D'Antoni too).

But ultimately (taking nothing away from Brown because this was his move all along) where I was completely won over was when he started announcing his assistants. Guys like Jordi were exactly the type of guy I wanted.

I couldn't help but notice last night that Jordi was all over the Kings box on the sideline like a second head coach. He will be soon enough and I'll be sorry to see him go, but Brown put together a masterful staff that I think is the best combined unit we've ever had. Adelman had Pete Carril and we all loved him but I'd be hard pressed to name his other assistants. There's at least 5 I know by name. (Jordi, Luke Loucks, Jay Triano, Doug, Lindsey Harding, Leandro Barbosa) - whoops, make that 6!
 
Great take! One of my best!
Props to you, @SLAB!!! At least you're not over there hiding under your sheets due to the embarrassment you must be feeling by underestimating the coaching abilities of Michael Burton Brown.

At least you're on here facing the music, and even going as far as to self-admitting your own glaring flaw; A glaring flaw that many of us saw the second we read your original comment...:p:p:p
 

gunks

Hall of Famer
I voted "yes" but commented "meh" and definitely recall feeling very meh about the hire at the time.

Not enough crow in the world to eat! Brown has been amazing!
 

SLAB

Hall of Famer
The sarcasm but ended up being right lmao.

This whole thread was full of some serious toxicity lol. I really hope some of you feel the shame cuz that was ugly to read. Really ugly.
Why would we feel shame? The team has sucked for 16 years. It isn’t the end of the world to be marred in pessimism. In the end we’re (mostly) still here and willing to admit we were wrong.
 
Why would we feel shame? The team has sucked for 16 years. It isn’t the end of the world to be marred in pessimism. In the end we’re (mostly) still here and willing to admit we were wrong.
Yeah, as @SLAB just said...No need for the pessimists to feel a sense of shame. After all, we hadn't, up to that point, shown anyone that we were ready to turn things around and take that next step. But, now that we're here, let's acknowledge and respect those pessimists for coming out and admitting their wrongdoing, just like how @SLAB has just done.
 

funkykingston

Super Moderator
Staff member
Honestly gotta say it was the prospect of Mark Jackson that got me all in on Brown (and apparently looking at page one, D'Antoni too).

But ultimately (taking nothing away from Brown because this was his move all along) where I was completely won over was when he started announcing his assistants. Guys like Jordi were exactly the type of guy I wanted.

I couldn't help but notice last night that Jordi was all over the Kings box on the sideline like a second head coach. He will be soon enough and I'll be sorry to see him go, but Brown put together a masterful staff that I think is the best combined unit we've ever had. Adelman had Pete Carril and we all loved him but I'd be hard pressed to name his other assistants. There's at least 5 I know by name. (Jordi, Luke Loucks, Jay Triano, Doug, Lindsey Harding, Leandro Barbosa) - whoops, make that 6!
My comments in this thread were more positive than I expected, but part of that was definitely the relief of it not being Mark Jackson. Not just because I think he's a poor coach, but because it would have meant that Vivek was still meddling instead of letting his GM do his job. I meant it when I said that if it happened I'd stop being a Kings fan as long as Ranadive was the owner.

What a huge difference this season made.

As for Jordi, it will depend on how many teams have head coaching vacancies and what they are looking for in a coach. But he'll be somebody's head coach soon, even if somehow we keep him for another season.
 
As for Jordi, it will depend on how many teams have head coaching vacancies and what they are looking for in a coach. But he'll be somebody's head coach soon, even if somehow we keep him for another season.

I think we keep Jordi one more year. Pretty sure that Triano is not going to be a Head Coach again. Other guys will be ready to move up the ladder and Triano can easily be Assoc HC.
 
Adelman had Pete Carril and we all loved him but I'd be hard pressed to name his other assistants. There's at least 5 I know by name. (Jordi, Luke Loucks, Jay Triano, Doug, Lindsey Harding, Leandro Barbosa) - whoops, make that 6!
I will not stand for this Elston Turner and John Wetzel slander!

(Agree this is a great group, though)
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
I will not stand for this Elston Turner and John Wetzel slander!

(Agree this is a great group, though)
Ok - you got me on Turner. I can't remember Wetzel, name is familiar but couldn't pick him out of a lineup. Also not sure if either ever advanced beyond, I think we have 2-3 future head coaches not to mention Bobby in Stockton.
 
Ok - you got me on Turner. I can't remember Wetzel, name is familiar but couldn't pick him out of a lineup. Also not sure if either ever advanced beyond, I think we have 2-3 future head coaches not to mention Bobby in Stockton.
Wetzel is one of those guys I actually remember just because, for some strange reason, of what he looked like when he was an assistant coach for the Kings...

1680208430616.png

Nothing special, of course, but I remember him because of this (Don't ask me why).
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
I think we keep Jordi one more year. Pretty sure that Triano is not going to be a Head Coach again. Other guys will be ready to move up the ladder and Triano can easily be Assoc HC.
I hope we can keep Jordi one more year.

Gotta figure Houston will be opening soon and might be attractive collection of talent. Detroit may go one more year? Portland is a mess and needs a new owner and GM but if I was Portland and desperate to keep Dame I'd also be reaching out.

Luke, Leandro, Doug would all leap at the chance if they ever get there. Is Harding in the top 3 female assistants with Becky in the W?