Fired coach Mike Brown can’t get love anywhere but the Warriors

Is it time to bring him back to Golden State? Sacramento didn’t know what they had!

Is anybody else blown away that Mike Brown doesn’t have a coaching job anymore? The former Golden State Warriors assistant coach had turned the moribund Sacramento Kings into a playoff team since he took them over in 2021. But now he’s been unceremoniously removed from his HC position in one of the sharpest transitions from hero-to-fired I’ve seen since…the last time it happened to Coach Brown?

As an outside observer, sometimes I feel like Brown’s coaching journey has been like storm of bad luck and untimely circumstances—except for his time with the Golden State Warriors.

Brown is no stranger to success, boasting an impressive résumé that includes an NBA Coach of the Year award (2009) and multiple playoff appearances. But despite his accolades, his career has often been defined by everything going wrong at precisely the wrong time.

Take his first head-coaching gig with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sure, Brown rode the wave of LeBron James’ brilliance, leading the Cavs to the 2007 NBA Finals. But that squad wasn’t exactly loaded with talent beyond its generational superstar. When LeBron left Cleveland in 2010, Brown was let go soon after—a scapegoat for circumstances well beyond his control.

His next stop was the Los Angeles Lakers, where he inherited a star-studded lineup of Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, and Steve Nash. It should’ve been a dream job, but injuries and chemistry issues turned it into a nightmare. Brown lasted just five games into his second season before being unceremoniously fired. Remember when he got the Kobe death stare?

Even a return to Cleveland in 2013 proved fruitless, as the team was in full rebuilding mode, and Brown was dismissed again after just one season. Then came Golden State, a place where Brown’s luck seemed to finally turn. As Steve Kerr’s trusted assistant, he found himself in an environment of stability and success, helping the Warriors secure championships while learning from one of the game’s most innovative organizations.

And when head coach Steve Kerr went down with complications from back surgery, Brown was there to lead the Warriors to playoff success.

But even as he basked in the glow of those golden years, the question lingered: Could Mike Brown still lead a team as a head coach, or was his legacy destined to be that of a brilliant assistant?

Enter the Sacramento Kings. Brown’s arrival in 2022 marked a chance to flip the script on his narrative. The Kings, a franchise synonymous with dysfunction and a record-setting playoff drought, presented both a challenge and an opportunity. With a core led by De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, Brown inherited a team brimming with untapped potential. And with his defensive acumen, championship pedigree, and lessons learned from his time in Golden State, he seemed poised to finally put it all together.

He even took the defending champion Warriors to 7 games in a thrilling series that is the last playoff series the Splash Bros ever won together. Those Kings were feisty, smart, and disciplined much like their coach. After that proud effort in defeat, it seemed like only a matter of time before the Kings would have their turn.

And when the Kings knocked the Warriors out of the play-in tournament last season, they looked like they might have things coming together. But alas, this was not the case for Coach Brown.

Maybe he can come to back to the Warriors and help us figure out something to get us back in the playoffs?