New York Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau reacts to Sacramento Kings coach firing

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Tom Thibodeau leads the New York Knicks and is part of a fraternity each season made up of just 30 people who can call themselves head coaches in the NBA.

On Friday afternoon, the NBA head coaching community suffered a blow after Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown was fired after just three years at the helm.

The 54-year-old Brown was released by the Kings just 31 games into the season after his team lost its fifth straight game to the Detroit Pistons on Thursday night. The team was 13-18 that season and finished 12th in the Western Conference, but Brown compiled a 107-88 record during his time with the Kings.

“Yeah, you hate to see this. It’s part of what we’re going through. Mike is a great person, a great coach. It’s unfortunate,” Thibodeau said before the Knicks played the Orlando Magic.

Former Knicks guard Doug Christie was named the team’s interim coach. While he spent most of his playing career with the Toronto Raptors and Kings, Christie played 35 games for the Knicks. He made his debut with the Knicks on December 27, 1994, exactly 30 years ago, and stayed in the Big Apple until February 1996.

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