Mike Brown (basketball coach)

Mike Brown on the decision to start Kevon Looney: “It was Draymond’s call. Draymond and Steph.” The Warriors had 70 rebounds tonight to close out the Grizzlies. That's an NBA high for rebounds by any team in any game this season. Kevon Looney had 21, Draymond Green had 15, Andrew Wiggins had 11. They had 45 defensive rebounds and 25 offensive rebounds. Wild.

We really have to give flowers to Mike Brown. His defense mindset changes the Kings around and turn the franchise from a identity-less one over the past 20 years to a hustle team play with pace and much much better defense.

Based on the game they demolished Grizzlies just now, under his coaching several players improve drastically:

• Fox has made deflections multiple times since the late Q3, leading the monstrous run by the Kings. His defense has improved a lot and while his size is a weakness, he made up with his hustle and can always stay in the right lane to make the right deflections or steals.

• Monk was always known as a score-first microwave guy, but I'm so impressed with his decision making, especially his PnR with Sabonis and he made some timely and deadly passes to seal the game.

• Lyles is much better defense player and won't get blown by easily as he was in the past, so do Sabonis.

• And of course, we have to mention Keegan Murray, who has made a lot of smart decisions in both offense and defense as a rookie and start to emerge to be ROTY candidate besides Banchero.

This season is very likely to be the first playoff entry by the kings since 2005/06, and with Mike Brown's coaching and playoff experience with the Warriors in the past, this Kings team may be able to get to the second round. The future is bright for this young, talented and well-coached team.

Mike Brown’s incredible career:
🔸Won a championship with the San Antonio Spurs and coached Tim Duncan

🔸Coached LeBron James

🔸Coached Kobe Bryant

🔸Won 2 championships with the Warriors and coached Kevin Durant & Stephen Curry

🔸Lead the Kings to their first playoffs in 17 years

Source on Twitter:

McKinnie has been an amazing role player for the Warriors. Solid defense, really good offensive and defensive rebounder, plus shooting 59% on 3s to start the season with 1.0 3PM per game.

Myers started off his Q&A with Bonta Hill and Joe Shasky by updating Kerr’s status.

“He’s doing all right,” Myers said. “He wants to be coaching. We kinda had a moment of levity after he tested positive. That night I told him, ‘You just don’t wanna coach in the playoffs, do you?’”

As Myers noted, Kerr also had to miss some playoff games in 2017 while dealing with complications from 2015 back surgery. Brown filled in until Game 2 of the NBA Finals and went 11-0 en route to the team’s second title in three years.

“I tapped Mike Brown on the shoulder and said, ‘Don’t lose. You haven’t lost yet.’” Myers said. “Mike’s 12-0.”

, believe it's cropped together from a recent interview he did with KNBR (also linked in the article)

"So he goes downstairs and gets the receipt. Jordan Bell had originally signed the receipt in his name and he scrubbed out the name and then signed Mike. So then Mike’s like ‘Clearly someone forged my name, that’s not my signature.’

"It got bad man. So they got CCTV footage because Mike’s like ‘I’m not paying for this, there’s no chance in hell.’ So they get the CCTV footage, and you see Jordan Bell walking in there. And Jordan Bell’s like ‘Nah it wasn’t me,’ and they’re like ‘We have you on camera’ and he’s like ‘Oh yeah it was, but I was just playing a prank.’

"They take it seriously, right. Then he throws Klay under the bus, ‘Yeah this is a prank that a bunch of us do, like Klay was always doing it to me, always signing his internet and his inter-room movies to my rooms. So I just thought it was a thing we did on the team.’ Then Klay’s sitting there like ‘Dude, what the F man I have nothing to do with this.’

“It finished up with him not having so much of a funny story where he got suspended for a game, but it was funny because no one knew what he purchased, so everyone on the internet thought that Jordan Bell ordered a porno film and put it on Mike’s room. So then Jordan Bell had to put out a statement to his agent saying I did not order a porno. This poor kid dug himself a massive hole and just kept digging it further and further and further until he subsequently got suspended for a game.”

The Dubs gave up 140+ to New Orleans tonight. Their defense in the pain suggests any team with strength and size will score at will. I'm amazed on every possesion that that doesn't end in a lay up, dunk or lob.

When Mike Brown was an assistant coach, the Warriors often had above average defense. How much of this is small players? How much is it ageing players? How much of it is a suspended player and Wiggins no longer being a plus defender for whatever reason?

What's your take?