Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone said the Sacramento Kings showed "no class" in parting ways with Mike Brown on Friday. (More NBA News)
Brown was crowned the NBA Coach of the Year for the second time in his career in his first season with the Kings in 2022-23, after he helped Sacramento snap the longest playoff drought in NBA history at 16 seasons.
However, the Kings' one-point loss to the Detroit Pistons marked their fifth straight defeat, coming after a pair of losses to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Currently, the franchise is a measly 13-18, good for 12th in the Western Conference, resulting in Brown's departure despite signing a contract extension in June through to the 2026-27 season.
Brown finishes his Kings tenure with a .549 win percentage (107-88).
Malone, who won a championship with the Nuggets in the 2022-23 season, lasted just 106 games in Sacramento before they also decided to move on from him in 2014.
He hit out at the manner of Brown's firing, saying: "What really p***** me off about it was they lost last night, fifth game in a row.
"They have practice this morning, (Brown) does his post-(practice) media, and he바카라s in his car going to the airport to fly to L.A. They call him on the phone. No class. No balls."
The 53-year-old Malone, who began his head-coaching career in Sacramento, had more to say.
"Awful. Yeah, awful,바카라 Malone said. 바카라And the reason I say that is, we were going into a meeting this afternoon, and the good thing about me is that, honestly, I바카라m not on social media.
"I바카라m not aware of what바카라s going on outside these walls sometimes. I바카라ve had an office with no windows for 10 years. It바카라s probably taken off six years of my life.
"I go into the meeting, and the coaches say, 바카라Did you hear about Mike Brown?바카라 And I say, 'Why, what happened?바카라 They said he got fired.
"At first, I was really shocked and surprised, and then I caught myself and said, 바카라Why am I shocked and surprised?'
"For two reasons. One, because as an NBA head coach you바카라re ultimately going to get the blame. When they win, it바카라s going to (Domantas) Sabonis or (De바카라Aaron) Fox.
"When you lose, it바카라s gonna go to Mike Brown. That바카라s the way it works. And two, who he works for. I바카라m not surprised Mike Brown got fired because I got fired by the same person."
Since moving on from Malone in 2014, the Kings have cycled through six different head coaches, including interims.
