Kerr: Kings hiring Brown great call
SAN FRANCISCO » Warriors coach Steve Kerr gave the Sacramento Kings his stamp of approval with the hiring of Golden State’s assistant coach Mike Brown even if it comes at the expense of his own staff.
The Kings on Monday announced Brown would be their next head coach. He’ll succeed Alvin Gentry, who took over for Luke Walton, another former assistant under Kerr, early last season after Walton was fired following a disappointing 6-11 start.
Kerr was thrilled to hear Brown, 51, would be back at the helm of an NBA team after serving six years on the Warriors’ bench.
“I don’t even know where to begin,” Kerr said Monday after shootaround when asked about Brown’s hiring. “What Mike has done for me, for this organization in his six years here, just an incredible contribution, he’s an amazing coach, amazing friend. And Sacramento made a great choice.
“It’s a loss for us, but this is how it’s supposed to work,” Kerr continued. “You want people who are really talented on your staff who can come in and contribute and have a great experience and hopefully learn and grow at the same time and then hopefully be able to advance careers and move on to something that that person wants. Mike’s ready to do this again. He’s excited and we’re thrilled for him. Much deserved, he’s a great choice.”
Brown will remain with the Warriors through their playoff run before shifting his focus to the Kings fulltime, Kerr said. He beat out former Warriors coach Mark Jackson for the job in Sacramento.
Then Kerr tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals series against the Memphis Grizzlies.
The news of Kerr entering the league’s health and safety protocols broke just two hours before tipoff Monday night. No one else on the Warriors has tested positive.
Brown was set to serve as the acting head coach in place of Kerr.
Kerr said it’s too soon to consider how they might go about replacing a wellrespective defensive mind like Brown.
It’s “too early to go down that path,” Kerr said. “We’ve got very important business at hand.”