The Mike Brown era has begun in Sacramento.
Fresh off of an NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors, newly named Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown addressed the media on Monday afternoon for the first time since his appointment last month.
Brown was joined by general manager Monte McNair at the podium to speak about his new role holding the clipboard, the status of Sacramento’s draft pick on Thursday and the outreach he began with the Warriors to communicate with members of the Kings’ roster.
Here are the three biggest takeaway’s from Brown’s introduction to Sacramento:
1) Brown left the Western Conference Finals to have lunch with De’Aaron Fox.
Following the conclusion of Golden State’s 4-1 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals, the head assistant coach for Golden State spent a team day off in order to fly and meet the franchise pillar in San Diego for lunch, as well as meet Fox’s family and watch him work out.
Following his meeting with Fox, Brown took a call with Richaun Holmes and his agent before getting on a plane and flying back to San Francisco to re-join the Warriors to prep for their championship run.
“I’ve talked to every single player on multiple occasions, some of them in person and some of them on zoom.” Brown said. “We’ve been heavily involved.”
Brown hosted Fox at a camp in high school, and shared that he sees Fox getting back to what he can achieve on the court.
2) He’s all-in on changing the culture.
Brown wasn’t shy in addressing the elephant in the room, and encouraged media to speak on the 16-year playoff drought Sacramento boasts. His key to the kingdom is working on the transparency of the front office, and the communication that has been lost in decades past.
“Every organization out there has a soul. The stronger that soul is, the better that organization will be. A strong soul, in my opinion, equates to winning culture,” Brown told reporters. “There has to be a vertical and horizontal alignment of trust within all the units of the organization. It’s not just about basketball. There’s got to be a level of trust that’s unattainable in most instances.”
Coming from a team that had a symphony playing between ownership, coaching staff and management, Brown’s pillars outlined a plan to bring his championship pedigree into a disgruntled organization.
3) He was extremely tight-lipped about Sacramento’s draft plans.
When asked about decisions coming down the pipeline in the next 48 hours, Brown gave a vague answer to what the future holds for Sacramento’s No. 4 lottery pick.
“I’m excited. The draft is going to be a fun time for all of us. I hope the city of Sacramento is just as excited as I am. [McNair, plus his staff] have been doing a terrific job, very knowledgable about the draft and everything that comes with it.”
McNair followed his comment with assurance that Brown, despite being preoccupied with the Warriors, has been aligned with all conversations regarding Sacramento’s important decision.
Overall, Brown’s first meeting with Kings media was positive and pleasant. Expectations are high as another coach joins the long list of trying to change this team for the better, and after 30 minutes of words, the actions will be what matters most in the coming days as the Kings assemble a competitive roster to build on this summer.