Less than 24 hours after Mike Brown was fired, The Athletic goes behind the scenes of the dismissal of Coach Of The Year 2023. Behind the scenes, the atmosphere had been tense for several weeks, and certain players criticized him in particular for his outings at press conferences. The current series of defeats did not help matters, and in a rather cowardly manner, management waited until the end of the day's training, and until Mike Brown was in the car to fire him.
To replace it, the leaders opted for Doug Christieand not Jay Triano, Brown's right-hand man since the start of the season. A former local star, but also a former commentator for Kings matches on television and radio, Christie joined the Kings staff three years ago at the request of Luke Walton. Upon the dismissal of the latter, in November, the leaders opted for Alvin Gentry as interim coach, and Christie will put all his weight behind management, so that Gentry finishes the season. It is also Christie who will coach the team when Gentry is in isolation, because of Covid. This same Gentry who became manager in Sacramento.
Close to the players
Appreciated by big boss Vivek Ranadive, Christie is also appreciated by the stars of the team. Particularly from Domantas Sabonis, who trains with Christie during the summer. But also De'Aaron Fox who Christie has often highlighted during interviews. The former teammate of Chris Webber and Vlade Divac is so highly regarded that The Athletic reports that the leaders have not started a search for a new coach.
Clearly, Christie should finish the season. And more if affinities…
