Sacramento Kings announce Mike Brown as new head coach
Having not seen the playoffs for almost two decades, the Kings are in need of a reboot. Is Brown the man to do it?
With the franchise hoping to rebuild a winning team, Brown’s appointment would appear to be a step in the right direction.
Sacramento Kings name Mike Brown as new head coach
According to reports, the Sacramento Kings put pen to paper on a four-year contract with Golden State Warriors assistant Mike Brown to become their next head coach. It is understood that Brown will remain with the Warriors for extent of their playoff campaign. Though initially it was believed that team owner Vivek Ranadive preferred former Warriors coach Mark Jackson, it has now been confirmed that Brown is in fact the coach that has been given the job.
What has Mike Brown done in the past?
When he first came to the fore, it was during his time - five years to be precise - as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Brown actually guided LeBron James and co. to the 2007 NBA Finals, but unfortunately that would be the one and only time. Cleveland would later dismiss Brown after the 2009/10 season with the hopes of a rebuild. From there Brown actually went on to coach the Los Angeles Lakers, but after dismal debut season with a record of 41-25, he was on thin ice. Indeed, Brown would be fired the following season in 2012 when the Lakers got off to a 1-4 start. After a brief return to Cleveland for the 2013/14 season, Brown was dismissed and once again seemed to be involved in a game of cat and mouse with LeBron James as the star returned shortly after Brown’s dismissal.
Where has Mike Brown been recently and what now?
Under Warriors coach Steve Kerr’s watch, Brown has developed in recent times into a top tier assistant, even stepping in for Kerr when the coach was recovering from an operation during the 2017 playoffs. Impressively, Brown posted an undefeated 11-0 record during Kerr’s absence. Incidentally, Ranadive was actually a minority owner of the Warriors before going on to acquire the Kings, which is to say he’s all too familiar with Brown’s methods and ways of working.
With a contract now signed, Brown will soon find himself charged with the task of bringing to an end the NBA’s longest absence from the playoffs. What kind of time frame will he be given and what kind of resources? Can he make the transition from a team that has won championships in recent years to one that hasn’t seen the post season in 16 years? All questions that will certainly need answering, but for the moment what’s certain is that Brown is a coach with pedigree, so if there’s a right choice for the job, it’s likely him.