Disturbing list proves that Mike Brown was never given a fair shake

On Friday, the Sacramento Kings dismissed their head coach, Mike Brown, after a disappointing 13-18 start to the 2024-25 regular season.

The decision was surprising for a couple of reasons. First, Brown is the best coach the team has had since the mid-2000s – even helping end their dreaded 16-year playoff drought. Second, the team just signed him to an extension six months ago. But most importantly, it feels like Brown was never given a fair shake.

Sacramento Kings front office didn't help Mike Brown

Listen, whenever news like this comes out, everyone has a strong opinion. And while it is good to be active in these discussions (in a respectful manner, of course), at the end of the day, all we can do is offer an educated speculation because we almost always will never know the full story.

In this specific instance, who knows what it really was that got Brown fired. Maybe he lost the locker room? Maybe his strange rotations were costing the team more than we ever realized? Whatever it is, there is a good chance that the Kings' front office had a valid reason for firing Brown.

However, from an outsider's perspective, it really feels like the Kings are blaming the wrong guy, especially when you see tweets like this (by the way, Brenden Nunes is a great follow on Twitter):

The list above contains all the wings/forwards that have been on the Kings' roster since Brown took over as head coach (DeMar DeRozan isn't included because, while he is wing-sized, he functions more like a guard).

With all due respect to the names above, this is arguably the weakest compilation of wings/forwards among teams that were in the playoff mix during that. Keegan Murray is probably the best player in this group, and he was only in his age 22 through 24 seasons at this time!

In today's NBA, you need dynamic wings/forwards who can space the floor, attack closeouts, defend the perimeter, create turnovers, and offer secondary rim protection (see the Boston Celtics/Oklahoma City Thunder). Outside of Murray (and Kevin Huerter for a season), the Kings never acquired these players. And unlike the Los Angeles Lakers, they never made trades to try to add these players.

No matter how good a coach is, you can only do so much with a roster that lacks high-level wings/forwards. The Kings may have re-signed Malik Monk and executed a sign-and-trade for DeMar DeRozan, but they never made a move to give one (or more) of these players.

Again, I am only a writer/analyst, not a front office executive. So, take my opinion as you will. But in my mind, firing Brown before seeing what he can do with better wings/forwards just doesn't seem right.