In a nod to history, it was on the Lakers floor, where he began his career as a rookie, that Doug Christie began his career as a coach. Successor to Mike Brown on the Kings bench, the former fullback failed to find the solution to prevent his players from suffering a 6th defeat in a row. Even when he was sick, Domantas Sabonis wanted to be there for this premiere, and he reached LA on his own.
“I arrived here and went straight onto the field”reveals Sabonis. “We are all focused on winning. But we know we didn't give our best. And we must do better. I, as the leader of the team, have to make sure that is the case. We have to win as many matches as possible.”
A final discussion
Another leader of the team, De'Aaron Fox has seen the spotlight focused on him for the past 48 hours. For what ? Because Brown's dismissal came after his long tirade against Fox, guilty of an idiotic foul, but decisive in the defeat against the Pistons. The next day, Brown was seen chatting at length with Fox at practice. A few minutes later, at the end of the session, the leaders decided to cut their coach!
“We were talking about things that happened during the match, and what we could do at the end of the match”says Fox about this exchange. “I didn’t know that this little discussion – which was completely classic – would be the last with him as coach.”
“The nice thing about being a player or coach in the NBA is that these things can happen, but those contracts are guaranteed.”
As he had just put pressure on his leaders, and had just taken a big beating from his coach, does he feel responsible for his departure? “I was surprised, and I found out a minute before everyone else”, replies the All-Star point guard. “Do I feel pressure or guilt? We are all aware of the work we have to do, and we can be exchanged at any time. Released. Cut. Fired. Whatever the situation. I wouldn't use the word 'guilt', but that's the nature of our work. »
What disappoints Fox is that Mike Brown's extension during the summer was a sign of continuity, and the franchise really needed it. On the other hand, he is not worried about the future of his now former coach… “Obviously by signing his extension in the summer we felt like we would be together for a lot longer, but that's the decision they made. But in the end, he still gets paid. The great thing about being a player or coach in the NBA is that these things can happen, but those contracts are guaranteed. »
