Kings GM made the call to fire Mike Brown

The Sacramento Kings shocked the NBA world on Friday, firing head coach Mike Brown just six months after he signed a new extension through 2026.

It came as a big surprise considering Brown just took the Kings to the playoffs the last two seasons. But, the front office apparently believed a change had to be made after the team’s sluggish 13-18 start to the campaign.

Owner Vivek Ranadive has never been shy to make a big decision when it comes to the Kings’ head coach. Doug Christie, who is taking over for Brown, is the eighth boss in 12 years since Ranadive took control of Sacramento.

However, it was actually GM Monte McNair’s decision to part ways with Brown. Via The Athletic:

“Team sources insisted the decision to fire Brown was McNair’s. The organization is choosing to back the front office of McNair and Wilcox, who are still considered safe amid all this Kings struggle. The roster’s depth has eroded the last two seasons, forcing Brown to search a rotation that hasn’t always had answers. It’s a weakness the front office acknowledges and is still attempting to remedy by the Feb. 6 trade deadline.”

Several coaches across the league criticized the Kings for canning Brown. One of them was Michael Malone, who was also fired by Ranadive in 2015. The Nuggets HC did not hold back:

“I’m not surprised that Mike Brown got fired, because I got fired by the same person,” Malone said. “And what really pissed me off about it was the fact that they lost [Thursday] night, fifth game in a row, I believe. Tough loss. … They had practiced this morning. He does his postgame media, and he’s in his car going to the airport to fly to L.A. and they call him on the phone.

“No class, no balls. That’s what I’ll say about that.”

When things are going wrong, it unfortunately falls on the shoulders of the head coach. It’s the way of the business, but getting rid of Brown just 31 games into the season does seem like a premature move.

We’ll see if it pays off.