Steve Clifford is reportedly no longer being considered by the Kings.
The Sacramento Kings will choose between veteran head coaches Mike Brown and Mark Jackson for their head coaching job “by the end of the weekend, if not sooner,” according to a report from Carmichael Dave of Sports 1140 KHTK on Thursday. Steve Clifford, who conducted his second interview with the Kings on Monday, is no longer in the running.
Jackson was one of the first people to be tied to the Kings’ head coaching vacancy and according to multiple reports, he’s also the preferred candidate of the team’s majority owner Vivek Ranadivé. However, Brown seems to have the backing of Kings general manager Monte McNair, who according to Sam Amick of The Athletic, will be given the “leeway” to appoint a head coach.
It’s been nearly a decade since Brown or Jackson had success as a head coach in the NBA, but at least Brown has been on the sidelines in the years since his last head coaching gig, most recently serving as assistant to Steve Kerr on the Warriors.
Jackson signed a deal to be TV analyst with ESPN after he was fired from the Warriors in 2014. Outside of the Warriors job, Jackson has never been a head coach.
Given the strength, or lack thereof, of the candidates being considered, one could make the argument that it would be in the Kings’ best interest to slow things down with their search for a head coach, but it sounds like they’re eager to fill the position. For the sake of the fans that have endured a revolving door of unsuccessful coaches (and a few that probably didn’t deserve the boot when they did), let’s hope that they make the right choice.