Coach Brown & Keon Ellis | Postgame Pressers 1.7.24

Coach Brown & Keon Ellis | Postgame Pressers 1.7.24

Uh Keon what uh I don’t know what was the the mood like in the locker room what was the what was the messaging from the coaching staff after this one um there was no message I’m I’m pretty sure uh everybody knows what happened what we got to get better with um

So there was honestly nothing to talk about after that one just just got to bring it in and you know try to get a better start to the next one Keon realizing that this is wholeheartedly unfair to ask you this what happened out there um well by the looks of it just

Just look like we didn’t bring it today um from the start you know they kind of just just jumped on us and we didn’t really show any fight um you know tried to fight back but uh they just kept they just kept punching Us in the mouth and

Uh never really could you know um Tau what they were doing out there so um but kind of like I just said just just got to get a better start and and um you know have a a a sense of urgency while we’re out there you know um

Knowing that we weren’t getting stops just kind of got to dig down and and you know be like you know we got to get a stop here you know to to start the run I mean obviously we we weren’t scoring but uh we weren’t getting stops as well

Either so you know if we’re not scoring they can’t score as well I don’t know if you’re able to separate the fourth quarter from the rest of the game but your group with with Colby and Kesler and and Kevin and everybody there at the end how do you feel you guys did making

The most of that opportunity and just I mean still this 12 minutes of a basketball game um I feel like we played hard uh from the from the time that you know I seen that the game was pretty out of hand um I was telling KOB aen you

Know like when we get in you know you know what we got to do go out there play hard you know play to the buzzer so um I think we went out there and played hard played the right way and you know didn’t really you know play the

Score Keon this you earned your way into the rotation with a game like this in the lost to Houston earlier in the season how much is it on you guys when you get an opportunity like this to step in and play with pride play as hard as

You can um it’s big I mean not even from just the sense of you know making a rotation but I think um just as opportunity you know uh um I’m pretty sure everyone knows like you can be here today going tomorrow so um just making the most of any opportunity you get um

Not even even if it’s not about you know making the rotation you know this um you know what we’re doing is a blessing so um I mean every time you step on the court you know just play hard and give it everything you got so but I mean and

Fortunately that sometimes does lead to you know more minutes or whatever it may be but um I don’t I don’t look at it from at least like a a trying to crack the rotation standpoint just just just happy to be out there you know happy for the opportunity yeah obviously you weren’t

Out there to that final quarter but what do you feel like the uh what was being emphasized coming into this game and what did you see when it came to those points um are you talking about when when we came in at the end um I mean we obviously knew that

They were a good defensive team um and and we knew where they were weak at um defensively and we emphasized on trying to attack that weakness um I don’t I don’t really think we did um that good of a job at that but uh obviously not

Trying to play on the same side you know swing the ball get some good rotation going um you know make them move give them or make them make multiple eort efforts um I think that was that was definitely one of the biggest things on the offensive end and then I think uh

You know like last time we played them you know their role players did have big games against us you know everyone thinks about you know the their main guys when we look at a team like them but um honestly just just try to to play

As as one you know um if if a manang guy has it you know have you know HBS back if he’s guarding Brandon Ingram or something you know just just make him pass it out to to whoever and live with that but I I just think everyone was on

A different page tonight there not much to say they flat out kicked her behind uh one thing I do say I feel feel sorry for the fans that spent their money uh coming and watch the game today um for us to perform that way and the lack of fight to you know to

Whether get back in the game stay in the game however you want to call it um was not non-existent um and it’s going to be tough uh scoring when you know you have Keegan Fox and Malik go combin uh five for 29 uh it’s going to be a tough night so

Give give New Orleans a lot of credit they came in here and they just flat out kicked our ass and did it for four quarters uh and at the end of the day like I said give them all credit and I’m sorry Sacramento fans for coming and spending your money

Today Mike this is certainly not the first time this season that a team just seems to come in with a lot of confidence especially shooting the basketball against you guys I’m not going to ask you to speak for them necessarily but just in your time in the NBA with whatever teams you’ve worked

For were there certain matchups or certain teams that you’d come into a game against where players knew okay we’re going to have a lot of opportunity and that gave them a lot of confidence uh yeah but the thing that the thing that I Haven an experience yet is you know um just

The when teams have it gone just the the lack of um physicality and grit and fightback that you want to see in situations like this uh I I haven’t I’ve never experienced uh going through it this many times and uh that’s what’s that’s what’s bothersome you know

Because you know you’re going to lose and for sure there have been teams that you know you’ve had matchup problems with and whether you I’ve I’ve gone 0 and four against teams throughout the course of the year or I’ve been part of a one and three you know four game

Stretch against teams and uh but the the the fight that was non-existent today and that has been there on a few or that hadn’t been there on a few occasions um that’s the tough part and you know again I don’t hear all the chatter but like I

Don’t see it in guys eyes and I don’t hear it you you know there there’s there’s you hear the chatter when if we’re not playing well offensively you hear that chatter you know but the the diving on the ground for loose balls freaking just taking a charge going

Vertical hitting somebody you know I I don’t really necessarily feel that in situations and that’s that is bothersome um but you got to give uh New Orleans a lot of credit for doing what they did too Max U Mike is Fox feeling okay this is a third straight game where he

Struggled shooting and just yesterday or two days ago when he was walking out of here it just looked like he was just not in pain but struggling and and looking a little tired yeah from from my understanding he is but that that may be a questions you ask him but I everything

Seems okay from from me with him you know what I’m saying he seems like he’s okay I haven’t heard anything Mike um you’re here to take the bullet here for your team but at some point I mean this is multiple games where your Leadership Council is nowhere

To be seen at the podium and I’m just wondering if that’s part of this too like 10 losses this season or blowouts you guys are sure your record’s great but there seems to be a lack of accountability in these types of games where we’re not even getting to see some

Of these guys that don’t show up in the box scor that don’t show up on paper yeah I I don’t James you I hope this doesn’t feel like a cop out but I I don’t know I never have known who comes to the podium and who doesn’t you know

What I’m saying so I mean that that would be more Shannon would have to answer not one time in my career that I ever follow that or track that you know um but everybody should face the music because you know we’re we’re all a part

Of this and um we all have to speak on it we all have to address it and we all have to look at an eye and see if we can be better and it does it starts with with Fox and domas you know at the end

Of the day those two guys um they they have to be accountable they have to hold everybody else accountable just like for me I mean I do too I mean I I’m part of this ass kicking a day and uh it is what it is and we got to keep trying to find

Ways to be better but um um you know the the only way to do it it’s not an X and0 thing you know I mean when you get beat like that that has nothing to do with x’s and O we can go out with no game

Plan and you could take any 10 guys and play harder and fight better than what we did today and that’s what’s disappointing you know uh like I said from top to bottom starting with me on down so uh in terms of who comes to the

Podium or not I not trying to bail out on that one but I have I have I’ve never known who was supposed to come here like not to belor the point a little bit but like seeing this team four times already yeah uh in those three matchups do you

Think some of that came with them you know previous games came with them into this game like did it feel like there was a letup once they really kind of got going uh I you know I I I don’t it’s good question I I I don’t know because

The letup seem to happen right away you know so I I I I don’t know Sean um you know their length their physicality uh it bothers all of us and um and defensively you know we’re so locked up on our own guy that like there’s there’s zero resistance we expect this guy to

Guard his man and how many times did they get to the rim and finish without the weak side coming across how many times did we get to the rim and and lay it up cleanly you know how many times did domas roll and there’s a body there

You know what I’m saying and then how many times did not only the when the ball hit the paint but we sprayed it did they freaking just fly and contest and get back into play and contest from behind I mean again we have a lot of areas that we can

Improve and and the shots aren’t going to always go in for us but if if we think that we should just be an offensive team and there is some of that thought uh amongst us is we should just try to outscore people uh you’re going to being for a roote Awakening in this

League if if you don’t if you don’t find a way to defend and take that end the floor serious because you’re not going to outscore every the shots aren’t going to go in I mean we we had some pretty good looks from the three-point line at

Times and they didn’t go in and that’s just that that’s the game uh so you got to have some uh some fight on the defensive end and there has to be a focus there for you in order to be able to win game 104 to 98 or 103 to 106

Something like that and uh today we didn’t do any type of job whatsoever on the defense end of the floor yeah coach not to gloss over the first three quarters but we saw Keon uh win minutes in Houston and closing time is there anybody that stood out to you with

Decent production in that final quarter yeah I you know I thought uh it’s good to see Kev get a little rhythm you know um he I thought he was really good I thought I thought Kessler was really good uh I thought Keon was good and and

Uh even Kobe was was good being thrown into an NBA game and getting some extended minutes for the first time in a while so uh and ay was solid too but but that the last group that we ended the the game with I I mean they they tried

They try they cut they moved they kept the game simple with their passes uh they tried to defend and help one another uh but they were really really good and that was encouraging to see because there have been times when we’ve we you know we’ve gotten blown out we

Throw throw guys out there and those guys just go through the motions but I thought the the group that ended the game they they were really good on both both ends of the floor especially offensively I just thought that the way they played was the right way and it was

Simple Mike follow up to my earlier question you were mentioning just not seeing the fight uh especially at times tonight you’ve also mentioned before about like when you’re in the games when you reach to game time it’s hey I gotta like I just got to support the guys it’s

Not the time or place necessarily to to start yelling or or doing anything like that I’m just curious it may be a dumb question like when you’re not seeing that fight how much do you is it on you and the coaching staff I guess to get

More try and fire that up or get that involved and how much of that are you trying to give to the leadership committee and the group The Players to actually change no it’s it’s it’s on me it starts with me I’ll I’ll be the first

One to say I know I got to do a better job but I also firmly believe in order to take that next step it come there’s got to be a time and place when the guys within that that that team uh hold each other accountable and you know I don’t I’ve never been

Around what I feel great situations great coaches great teams where the coach is just constantly yelling that that crap gets old after after a while the the te that I’ve been a part of that that that are great that have been great uh it it comes a point

In time where it comes from within and you could everybody can feel it and everybody knows and expects uh who’s going to step up and who’s going to get it done on the floor and in the huddles as opposed to everybody just kind of being flat line with it and so yeah I’ll

Take the blame because obviously I have to do more you know with with this team um but hopefully uh sooner than later uh we’ll be able to get a lot of that from within because those are the great teams in my opinion especially the ones that I’ve been with

Coach Brown & Keon Ellis speak to the media following a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on January 7, 2024.

0:00 – 4:02 Keon Ellis
4:02 – 14:50 Coach Brown

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