It’s time we start questioning his coaching ability. He has this team a hot mess and have only gotten worse since his first year. I see no positives anywhere. How do we acquire Derozan and get worse? He’s supposed to be a defensive coach yet we are letting teams go off from the perimeter every game.
Mike Brown
- Thread starter nikefutbolero
- Start date
Questions deserve to be asked. The first season was a perfect storm of everything going exactly right. Now are we seeing the “True” Mike Brown when things are just what they’re supposed to be?
I don’t think his seat is hot at all, at least right now… But also don’t think he isn’t untouchable if this season goes down the drain.
I don’t think his seat is hot at all, at least right now… But also don’t think he isn’t untouchable if this season goes down the drain.
I do not like Kings playstyle this year at all. To be more specific, I turn off Kings game streams very often this year, because I cannot accept how Kings play: slump offense, many ISO plays, crappy shooting, no flow. Please remind me when Kings managed to get a big lead this year? I am not talking about defense, which quite often is in very poor shape....
And for that Brown has to take responsibility too, because bad game adjustments, bad timing of timeouts or bad challenges affects game badly too.
And it seems that players are not happy too and sometimes disapointment appears like this:
I also do not scream that Mike Browns has to be fired, but he needs to find solution on this poor Kings performances and firstly point to himself.
And for that Brown has to take responsibility too, because bad game adjustments, bad timing of timeouts or bad challenges affects game badly too.
And it seems that players are not happy too and sometimes disapointment appears like this:
I also do not scream that Mike Browns has to be fired, but he needs to find solution on this poor Kings performances and firstly point to himself.
I have wondered why Doug has not moved up the bench since Mike came aboard. I get that a coach needs his own people and might have feelings about inheriting a local hero he can't get rid of, but I expected him to get a look after Jordie moved on. Doug has skills and players respect.
I agree with Slab that Mike's seat isn't hot but that accountability-related questions are fair at this point. There are times it feels like he is still figuring out things that should have been put to bed after the preseason. I'm rooting for Mike to have a long and successful Kings future, but I also know it's not uncommon in this league for the rebuild coach and the maintain excellence coach to be two different people.
I agree with Slab that Mike's seat isn't hot but that accountability-related questions are fair at this point. There are times it feels like he is still figuring out things that should have been put to bed after the preseason. I'm rooting for Mike to have a long and successful Kings future, but I also know it's not uncommon in this league for the rebuild coach and the maintain excellence coach to be two different people.
Yup. I think he stays clear this season, even if we miss the playoffs. For a franchise as unstable as the Kings have been, you don't get rid of the only source of stability this team has seen in 20 years, a year and a half after breaking that streak. But if we DO miss the playoffs, he's got one more year to really show massive progress or he's gone.
We can look to Dallas and their initial struggles with integrating Kyrie into the offense. It took a year for them to figure it all out, and we're asking the Kings to figure it out a lot sooner.
I'm not necessarily preaching patience, because the timelines were not too similar, but also, a little perspective doesn't hurt.
I'm not necessarily preaching patience, because the timelines were not too similar, but also, a little perspective doesn't hurt.
I remain so perplexed by this fixation some Kings fans have at the idea of Doug Christie getting the head coaching gig here. He was a good defender. He's a solid dude. But rival GMs aren't beating down the door down to poach DC from the Kings. If anything, Jordi Fernandez ultimately may have been the one that got away. Personally, I was a big proponent of looking Kenny Atkinson's way before the Mike Brown hire. Atkinson currently has the Cleveland Cavaliers at a league-best 17-1. Same damn team as last year. Only major difference is the coach.
All of that said, Mike Brown deserves a shot to right the ship. The front office brought in DDR. The team reworked the defensive scheme. And coaching staffs like to take longer views than fan bases. They know it takes time for principles to translate into habits, and those staffs tend to be very conservative as a result. Fan bases are emotional and reactive. If the Kings miss the play-in because they're still letting teams light them up for 40-50% from 3 by season's end, then yeah, we should be talking about the potential for a change. Brutal as the West is, it would be unacceptable to miss the play-in altogether.
For now, I see no real tangible need to panic. The Kings have not started the season strongly, but they're integrating a new big time starter and they're shooting the ball terribly and they're trying out a new defensive scheme and they've had some overlapping early season injuries to key players. 8-9 under those circumstances is maybe less than we'd hoped, but not entirely unexpected, either.
All of that said, Mike Brown deserves a shot to right the ship. The front office brought in DDR. The team reworked the defensive scheme. And coaching staffs like to take longer views than fan bases. They know it takes time for principles to translate into habits, and those staffs tend to be very conservative as a result. Fan bases are emotional and reactive. If the Kings miss the play-in because they're still letting teams light them up for 40-50% from 3 by season's end, then yeah, we should be talking about the potential for a change. Brutal as the West is, it would be unacceptable to miss the play-in altogether.
For now, I see no real tangible need to panic. The Kings have not started the season strongly, but they're integrating a new big time starter and they're shooting the ball terribly and they're trying out a new defensive scheme and they've had some overlapping early season injuries to key players. 8-9 under those circumstances is maybe less than we'd hoped, but not entirely unexpected, either.
I think you are underestimating how much work DC is doing behind the scenes. In almost every preseason video he looked like he was working his butt off. DC isn't some first year coach here. He's been putting in the work and paying his dues. I was also fairly impressed by what I saw in summer league in relation to his in game adjustments and dealing with players.
I'm totally aware that DC is putting in the work. I've seen the behind the scenes footage. And look, I like the guy. It seems like he's very dedicated to furthering his coaching career. But there are dozens of assistants around the league who are putting in the same kind of work. There aren't head coaching gigs in all of their futures. Christie may be a HC in the NBA eventually. He may even be a very good one some day! But the insistence in some corners of the Kings fanbase that it "should have been DC" is bewildering to me. There's probably a reason you don't see other franchises elevating former fan favorite players to head coaching positions. We did it with Vlade in the front office and then passed on Luka Doncic. It might be wise to step back and wonder if maybe we're romanticizing the glory years of Kings basketball just a little too much.
Some thoughts to ponder:
Barnes leaves....becomes WC player of the week
Hali leaves....becomes an All-Star
Hield leaves....does well with Warriors' system
Davion leaves....becomes a starter and doing well
Keegan arrives....great offensive first year, subsequently offensively declining
Huerter arrives...great offensive first year (and previous years)....subsequently offensively declining
First Brown year...makes playoffs, year two no playoff, year three (to date) out of playoff contention with losing record
Some issues could be with McNair, could be Brown. could be injuries, or could be a combination of many different factors.
Barnes leaves....becomes WC player of the week
Hali leaves....becomes an All-Star
Hield leaves....does well with Warriors' system
Davion leaves....becomes a starter and doing well
Keegan arrives....great offensive first year, subsequently offensively declining
Huerter arrives...great offensive first year (and previous years)....subsequently offensively declining
First Brown year...makes playoffs, year two no playoff, year three (to date) out of playoff contention with losing record
Some issues could be with McNair, could be Brown. could be injuries, or could be a combination of many different factors.
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I would slow down on all the players becoming better once they leave.
Barnes - Had a nice week and won WCPOW, but is still averaging 11.5 PPG, which is less than last year
Hali - I think we all know he would have more success in Indy as he was running the show, but has also struggled this year (as are the Pacers)
Hield - Is having a nice year so far, but has been shown the door by 2 other teams (Indy and Philly)
Davion - He's only a starter because Quickly has been injured and he hasn't exactly been doing that well, 7.7 PPG on 40% FG and 30% from 3.
I agree with all your other assessments.
Barnes - Had a nice week and won WCPOW, but is still averaging 11.5 PPG, which is less than last year
Hali - I think we all know he would have more success in Indy as he was running the show, but has also struggled this year (as are the Pacers)
Hield - Is having a nice year so far, but has been shown the door by 2 other teams (Indy and Philly)
Davion - He's only a starter because Quickly has been injured and he hasn't exactly been doing that well, 7.7 PPG on 40% FG and 30% from 3.
I agree with all your other assessments.
Barnes was the western conference player of the week. Not month.
Haliburton is having a pretty poor season. He’s only averaging 17/3/9 while posting a 52.8% TS%. That’s not even close to all star level thus far.
Hield has had a few stops since leaving SAC. I wouldn’t categorize his career being on the upswing since his departure. He’s doing well in GSW thus far though.
Davion is posting a .491 TS% thus far. Much worse than his last 2 seasons with us. His AST are up but that has more to do with Quickley and Barnes being injured this year as they would be handling the ball much more. It would be like if Fox and Sabonis got hurt and we began starting Mitchell. I’m sure his AST would go up as well.
Haliburton is having a pretty poor season. He’s only averaging 17/3/9 while posting a 52.8% TS%. That’s not even close to all star level thus far.
Hield has had a few stops since leaving SAC. I wouldn’t categorize his career being on the upswing since his departure. He’s doing well in GSW thus far though.
Davion is posting a .491 TS% thus far. Much worse than his last 2 seasons with us. His AST are up but that has more to do with Quickley and Barnes being injured this year as they would be handling the ball much more. It would be like if Fox and Sabonis got hurt and we began starting Mitchell. I’m sure his AST would go up as well.
This is why hot takes are hot takes. Hot takes can actually be as long as a few years. I still remember people arguing James Harden > Jordan. Yeah, assess things with enough time and evidence, then draw conclusions. Anyone going from a team as a rando backup and into a starting role better look better, haha.
I just don't think it would be terribly smart to fire Mike Brown and replace him with... who, exactly? If the Kings were a perennial playoff contender regularly getting to the second or third round but flaming out? Sure, it could be a good idea to freshen up the locker room with a new voice, especially if you know talent alone will carry you back to the playoffs regardless of who the head coach is. But at this stage of the team's development, in a brutally tough Western Conference? Firing the head coach for the umpteenth time in De'Aaron Fox's career would be deeply unwise. The team decided on Mike Brown, and I think they need to roll with the McNair/Brown braintrust long enough to see where the team maxes out. If they've already maxed out, and if it's clear that there's no further ceiling, then you tear down and rebuild the whole damn thing. But you don't go back to half-measures and head coaching carousels. We wandered that particular wasteland for over fifteen years, and I have no desire to see this franchise return to short-sighted decision-making.
Exactly this. I'm not happy with every decision Mike Brown makes and winning the Coach of the Year award in 2023 is naturally going to raise expectations, which is fair. But the bottom line is that he has provided this team with stability and a unifying message in the locker room which is arguably more important than all of the X's and O's wizardry that some hypothetical new hire might provide.
Unless/until the wheels truly fall off with this group, he is our leader on the sideline and Monte McNair is our leader in the front office. Continuity may not be sexy but it is how you build towards success and these two have already made the Kings relevant again, which is no small feat in my eyes.
Unless/until the wheels truly fall off with this group, he is our leader on the sideline and Monte McNair is our leader in the front office. Continuity may not be sexy but it is how you build towards success and these two have already made the Kings relevant again, which is no small feat in my eyes.
From what I've heard Brown has been wanting some long athletic forward types for years now, but to no avail. If Brown and McNair were effectively acting as a GM team, I would not be happy with him, but I haven't heard or read that he is responsible for the makeup of this team. Overall, I get the feeling that McNair is cramming a team he wants down Brown's throat. If anyone knows differently, please let me know.