January 6th 2025.
Steve Kerr couldn't believe who was missing from the visitor's bench Sunday night. It had been a week and a half since the Kings decided to part ways with their coach, Mike Brown. Kerr, who had worked closely with Brown from 2016 to 2022 and saw him win coach of the year in 2022-23, was still trying to process the decision. Brown was fired on December 27th, after the team had lost five games in a row and started the season with a record of 13-18.
"I'm still in shock that the Kings are here tonight without Mike," Kerr said, still clearly affected by the news. "The job he's done in the past couple of years, and where the team is now compared to when he first joined, it's remarkable. We all go through rough patches, it's a part of the game. Miami just lost by 35 points at home to Utah, but they're not firing their coach, Erik Spoelstra."
Kerr continued, "As organizations, we all face challenges and it's a collective effort. We all share the blame when things go wrong. But I just can't understand why they made that decision with what Mike has accomplished there. But it's done now."
The Warriors had just lost 12 of their last 15 games, and Kerr could relate to the pressure and scrutiny that comes with a struggling team. "We've been through it too, it's not easy. But we have to remember that it's a team effort and we all have to take responsibility."
But on this night, it was not Brown leading the Kings from the sidelines, but Doug Christie, who had been named interim head coach for the past four games. The Kings had gone 3-1 with Christie at the helm, and they were ready to face the Warriors.
When Brown was hired in 2022, the Kings were a struggling team, having missed the playoffs for 16 consecutive seasons and not had a winning record since 2006. But in just two and a half seasons, Brown had turned things around, leading the team to a 107-88 record and two playoff appearances.
But as Kerr reflected on Brown's accomplishments, he couldn't help but feel for his friend and former colleague. Brown had been fired on the same day that he had led practice and was on his way to join the team for their next road trip. He has not made any public comments since the decision was made.
Kerr did reveal that he had spoken with Brown, but he chose to keep the details of their conversation private. "That's between us," Kerr said. "But Mike is not only a great coach, he's also a great friend."
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