Sacramento Kings coach, players sound off on 'crazy' Mike Brown firing

LOS ANGELES - Count the Sacramento Kings coaches and players among those who were shocked to hear the franchise had moved on from former Coach of the Year Mike Brown.

On Friday, the Kings announced that they were dismissing Brown , after Sacramento had lost its fifth straight game, dropping the team to 12th in the Western Conference with a 13-18 record, much to the surprise of coaches around the league .

Doug Christie was named the interim head coach in Brown's place, with the organization hoping for a turnaround soon.

Speaking to Mirror U.S.

Sports before the game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kings star Malik Monk explained what Brown meant to him and why the former head coach was so revered around the NBA.

In particular, the 26-year-old called to mind Brown's extensive resume along with the players and organizations he's helped led to success.

Kings fire head coach Mike Brown as practice moment with De'Aaron Fox caught on camera Michael Malone launches into rant about Mike Brown losing Kings job - 'No class' "As a player, I feel like he just had a lot of guys play under him," Monk said of Brown and what he meant to those in the league.

"Whether they coaching now or playing, some coaching now, some playing still.

And with those guys, they tell each other about Mike.

"So it just follows that line.

And I don't think he got a bad rep out of none of those guys he coached or was together with him.

So I feel like that's why he's getting a big outpour from the media, from the coaches and from SAC fans." For Monk, Brown helped unlocked perhaps what was the best version of the star.

Monk and Brown arrived in Sacramento during the same offseason and together, the two helped snap the Kings' 17-year playoff drought, the longest in U.S.

sports history.

For his efforts, Brown was named the Coach of the Year, the second time he's received the award.

Just two years later, Brown was fired, which left the organization stunned with how quickly the Kings moved on from the championship-winning coach, especially since he signed a contract extension in the offseason.

"Crazy 24 hours," Christie told reporters before the game.

"For me, I got a massive amount of love for Mike.

The fact that he kept me, I've been able to learn so much from an incredible coach." With the task of turning a team around in a hurry now on his plate, Christie understands that while he has added pressure, he is attempting to bring the game to its basic level to help with the transition.

"It's just basketball is what it is," he said.

"I mean, it's a super high level, there's a lot at stake.

"But the ability to keep them grounded and let them know that we're here to compete at a high level.

We're here to do it together.

And we want to do that every single night.

Me trying to do something special is not what it's about.

It's all about them.

It's not about me.

"So I'm here as a conduit to try to get them to be the best version of themselves.

That's really been my message to them.

And I'm hoping that the compete level for them stays at an extremely high level every single night.

That's the one thing that I can't vacillate on.

And I think that they understand that." In the end, the former Kings star hopes to empower his team and lead them on a path to victory.

"But I would think that one thing that I try to be is a leader of men and trying to galvanize them to come together." he continued.

"Because as individuals, we're five pieces.

But when we come together, we're a fist.

And that's what I want them to understand.

We come to do what we do.

But up and beyond that, no, because it's been a crazy 24 hours.".

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