Kings’ Brown crowned as NBA’s Coach of Year

Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown made it two awards in as many days for the Kings franchise as he cruised to a unanimous choice because the NBA’s Coach of the 12 months, which was introduced on TNT Wednesday night time.

“These honors do not come round usually, so that you’re very appreciative of them,” Brown mentioned throughout an interview on TNT’s “Inside The NBA” after being named the winner of the award.

Brown, who led Sacramento to its first playoff berth since 2006 this season in his first yr main the Kings, follows De’Aaron Fox, who gained the NBA’s inaugural Jerry West Clutch Participant of the 12 months award Tuesday.

Brown claimed each single one of many 100 first-place votes to assert the Purple Auerbach Trophy, which was redesigned this yr as a part of an overhaul of the NBA’s awards. Brown turns into the primary unanimous winner of the NBA’s Coach of the 12 months award.

Because of this, Brown simply outpaced Oklahoma City Thunder coach Mark Daignault, who led the Thunder to a play-in match look, and Boston Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla, who led Boston to the second-best document within the NBA after taking on for Ime Udoka days earlier than the beginning of coaching camp after Udoka was suspended for the season for a number of violations of workforce guidelines. Daignault and Mazzulla completed second and third, respectively, and 11 different coaches obtained at the very least one second- or third-place vote.

“I had to verify I understood what their strengths had been, and I needed to settle for with the ability to play to their strengths,” Brown mentioned when requested how he approached dealing with his new workforce within the fall.

He additionally was requested on the present concerning the NBA’s choice to droop Draymond Inexperienced for Recreation 3 of Sacramento’s first-round sequence in opposition to the Warriors after he stomped on Kings star Domantas Sabonis and was ejected from Recreation 2. The Kings will enter Thursday’s recreation with a 2-0 lead within the sequence. Brown spent the previous a number of years as Steve Kerr’s lead assistant with the Warriors.

Brown mentioned Sabonis is “superb” and can play in Recreation 3.

“I instructed our guys this,” Brown mentioned. “We have to management two issues … we have to management our stage of physicality, and that must be up from the common season, as a result of we weren’t good in that space.

“After which I mentioned now we have to play with tempo. So I have been yelling at our guys that now we have to be doing the 2 P’s.”

Brown’s Coach of the 12 months award follows Fox successful the Clutch Participant award Tuesday and Memphis Grizzlies ahead Jaren Jackson Jr. successful the Defensive Participant of the 12 months award on Monday. The NBA will announce its Sixth Man of the 12 months award winner Thursday.