Did Kings fire Mike Brown for seemingly throwing De’Aaron Fox under the bus?

Kings head coach Mike Brown was fired recently, with fans claiming his post-match interview against Pistons led to his sacking.

Did Kings fire Mike Brown for seemingly throwing De’Aaron Fox under the bus?

Mike Brown

On Thursday night, the Sacramento Kings lost in a nearly incomprehensible manner. They gave up a four-point play and a late lead to guard Jaden Ivey of the Detroit Pistons. This was after he was fouled while trying to tie the game with a three-pointer from the corner. However, with this loss came the sacking of Kings head coach, Mike Brown.

After the game, Brown delivered a harsh critique of his unit on the floor, implying that the players were told to foul on the floor if at all possible. Brown persisted in hedging protections for his star player, De’Aaron Fox. This was by claiming that he “didn’t know,” and that he needed to see the clip to understand why Fox wasn’t sticking up for Ivey on the arc.

YouTube video

Regarding this, many Kings fans believe that Brown’s assessment of Fox post-game is what cost him his job. Fox is one of the main faces of the Kings franchise. With the deadline approaching in February, Fox remains a highly sought-after player mentioned in trade rumors. That won’t be stabilized by these remarks, which seem to show a complete disregard for the coaching approach.

However, the Kings cannot afford to lose their star in the trade market and rather sacked their head coach instead. The Sacramento Kings are 13-18 in the NBA currently in the West. They sit in 12th place on the Western Conference standings and will have to change their fortunes if they were to secure a playoff spot. Up next for the Kings are the Los Angeles Lakers.

NBA coach Michael Malone goes off on Kings management for sacking Mike Brown

The NBA community responsed soon after the Sacramento Kings’ dismissal of head coach Mike Brown. Most notably, the Denver Nuggets’ seasoned coach Michael Malone criticized the Kings for the decision. The coach said he remained perplexed over the Kings holding Brown responsible for their continuous problems.

At first, I was really shocked and surprised. And then I caught myself and said ‘Why am I shocked and surprised?’ for two reasons. One, as an NBA head coach, ultimately, you’re gonna get the blame. When you win, it’s gonna go to Sabonis and Fox, when you lose it’s gonna go to Mike Brown, That’s the way it works. And two, who he works for. So, I’m not surprised that Mike Brown got fired because I got fired by the same person.

Michael Malone told the reporters

Mike Brown received his marching orders over the phone after concluding a post-practice media session. According to reports, the call came as he was heading to the airport for the following game. This is pretty impolite and even disdainful for one of their best coaches in team history. All eyes will now be on the Kings’ management regarding their next head coach.