4 best Kings head coach replacements after Mike Brown firing
12/29/2024 01:49 AM
The Sacramento Kings’ season hasn’t exactly gone as planned. Despite the addition of another star in the offseason, the team currently holds a below-500 record, good for 12th place in the Western Conference. They’re also on a six-game losing streak, and the front office just decided to implement a change on the sidelines. Following their fifth straight loss, the Kings let go of head coach Mike Brown on Friday, ending a tenure that spanned more than two years.
Brown’s firing may come as a surprise to some. Yes, the Kings may have missed the previous playoffs to compound this season’s struggles, but it was just during the 2022-23 season that Brown steered Sacramento to their first postseason appearance after a 16-year drought. He won his second Coach of the Year award back then as well.
Regardless, what’s done is done, and the Kings’ current situation begs the question — who will replace Mike Brown at the helm? At the moment, Doug Christie has been selected as the interim head coach for the rest of the season. As for long-term scenarios, there’s no word yet, so this article will be listing possible candidates for the position.
Terry Stotts
Terry Stotts — now an assistant for the Golden State Warriors — is mostly known for his tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers. Serving as head coach for nine seasons out in Oregon, Stotts was the main man on the sidelines during the Damian Lillard-CJ McCollum era in RIP City. On top of that, he’s had stints with the Atlanta Hawks and the Milwaukee Bucks in the early 2000s.
His advantage over other candidates? Experience. Sotts has coached over a thousand NBA games, holding a regular season record of 517-486. His 23-44 playoff record might raise concerns, but a coach that’s seen the postseason for a total of nine times is still worth considering.
Micah Nori
While he doesn’t really have any head-coaching experience, Micah Nori has served as an assistant for various teams ever since the 2009 season. He spent the last four years with the Minnesota Timberwolves under Chris Finch, meaning he played a role in molding the 2023-24 Timberwolves team that led the league defensively. Furthermore, Nori reportedly landed head coaching interviews with several teams prior to the current season.
Doug Christie himself
If all goes well for the rest of the season and Dough Christie somehow manages to steer the team to a winning record — or even better, a playoff appearance — then there’s no reason for the Kings to find another candidate. Christie’s coaching career (as an assistant) only started in 2021, but anyone who knows their basketball history knows Christie’s special connection with the Kings.
The ex-NBA guard played for Sacramento during the early 2000s, being a key starter in a core group that included Mike Bibby, Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, and Peja Stojakovic. Christie and the Kings made the Western Conference Finals during the 2002 playoffs.
Sam Cassell
They say point guards transition well into coaching because of their role as floor generals. If that’s the case, then Sam Cassell is another option for the Kings. Besides his fruitful 15-year playing career — one which includes three NBA Championships and an All-Star appearance — Cassell has been an assistant coach for various teams ever since 2009. He was under Doc Rivers for a good amount of time, helping out the Lob City Clippers and the Joel Embiid-led 76ers. And in these past two seasons, Cassell has been a part of Joe Mazulla’s coaching staff, winning a title with the Boston Celtics earlier this year.
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