- Programming note: "Kings Central" with coach Mike Brown debuts on NBC Sports California on Monday night before "Kings Pregame Live."
When Kings coach Mike Brown arrived in Sacramento, he was ready to set the tone early. There was no better time do so than at training camp.
The Kings have come a long way since Brown urged the team to “turn the f--king jets on” back in October, and it looks like they listened. As Sacramento, which sits in the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, is on the verge of snapping an NBA-record 16-year playoff drought, Brown reflected back on that viral moment and what triggered him to run baseline to baseline.
“I love training camp,” Brown told NBC Sports California’s Kyle Draper on “Kings Central,” debuting Monday night. “I wish training camp could be two-and-a-half or three months. I know the guys are going to kill me for that. Nobody likes that. I just like the teaching and the banging heads and the sweat and the grind, and seeing guys getting better every day. That excites me and I'm passionate about it.
“So trying to teach and get your point across, you want guys to know that you can’t just go through the motions. You got to do it with some passion, some force, some energy. And it just happened. I wanted the guys to know that I can’t get there as quick as you, but I can get there. I can get there with some effort.”
There are coaches who lead with their voice and some who lead by example. Brown happens to do both.
But that viral video from training camp isn’t the only one that has caught Brown in action. There have been a number of times this season where Brown will use a timeout mid-game to teach a lesson.
The video below is a great example of the type of coach Brown is. He called a timeout in the first half of the Phoenix Suns-Kings game and pulled Terence Davis aside and onto the court to explain what he wants from the 25-year-old guard defensively.
A few moments later, Davis made the adjustment and Brown’s reaction spoke for itself. It’s a small example that goes to show the large impact Brown has had on the Kings in his first season as head coach.
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It's part of the reason why Brown was named the Western Conference Coach of the Month for February, and why he is leading Coach of the Year odds this season.
If Brown takes home the honors this year, that viral training camp video likely will be playing at the ceremony.
"It happened to be caught on video," Brown said, "and now everybody either applauds me for it because they thought it was pretty cool to motivate the guys with, or they kill me for it because they could’ve pulled out a stopwatch and it was fairly slow.”