The Sacramento Kings announced Monday that they’ve hired Doug Christie as an assistant coach to join Luke Walton’s staff. Doug is a former Kings player and has spent the last several years providing color commentary on the Kings television broadcast, as well as co-hosting a radio show with Jason Ross on KHTK. It’s been no secret that Doug has wanted to get into coaching.
In a statement provided by the Kings, Doug said the following:
“It’s been a dream of mine to coach for the Sacramento Kings,” said Christie. “I feel like I have some unfinished business. I’d like to thank my family at NBC Sports California as well as KHTK for an amazing ride. I look forward to working with Coach Walton to deliver a winning team to the great fans of Sacramento.” .
The Kings also included a statement from Luke Walton:
“Doug has been a pillar within the Sacramento Kings organization for decades,” said Walton. “I’m excited to add his years of basketball knowledge and energy to our coaching staff and our great group of players.”
It remains to be seen who NBC Sports might bring in to replace Doug on the broadcast.
Congratulations, Doug!
Good, now get rid of Mark Jones and maybe the telecast will finally be listenable. They were awful.
They were awful together. Wouldn’t mind hearing Jones with a better color guy or gal.
Jerry. F’ing. Reynolds.
You leave our podcast guy alone!!!
HE CAN DO BOTH BETTER THAN DOUG CHRISTIE COULD DO ANYTHING
If Jerry would’ve punched Rick Fox, he would’ve gone to jail for murder.
Hahahahaha!!!
bring back Grant? yuk
I just heard an older segment of a Kings Game recently. I miss him! He brought it and was excited to listen to again. Let the bombs begin . . .
So over/under on when Doug is the head coach…I’m going with prior to the All-Star break.
I like it. Unlike many here I enjoyed him on the radio and calling games. He talks defense and I think he will relate to the players. Would take him as HC any day.
I enjoyed Doug Christie, but my tastes are peculiar.
Anyway, hi-five!
I’m still waiting to see Luke Walton coach.
Hahahaha!!!!
I doubt it, but don’t doubt that it would be an improvement.
That was my first thought by the news
Great move for Doug. He’s always seemed like he’d be a much better coach (and perhaps a genuinely good one) than a commentator. Good luck to him! Was my favorite player on the “glory days” teams.
I hope Doug brings his BBIQ and toughness to this team, but I worry that he’s going to continue treating them with kid gloves like he does on-air. Please prove me wrong, Doug!
“Marvin! I SAID SET THE SCREEN!”
“Can we save salary by making Doug Christie a ‘Coach/Color Commentator’?”
“I like the way you think, Aneel. I like the way you think.”
Mr. Burns with hair.
“Smithers, who is that man writing names and monetary amounts on that white board in the GM’s office?”
“That is Monte J. McNair, sir.”
“McNair, eh?”
…. Oh boy, more nostalgia to wet the kings fans appetite in place of winning
Just wait for VP of Basketball Operations Hedo Turkoglu!
Mike Bibby is on line 1
BREAKING: Robert Horry to join Shaquille O’Neal as minority owner of Sacramento Kings.
Hedo is busy being a mouthpiece for an awful dictator, which makes me depressed…
Is he? Ugh Erdoğan is a thug.
He really is.
Remember when we, as Americans, could criticize such people because we’d been clever enough to not elect fascists for a couple of hundred years? Sure most of it was built on lies, but still!
Got the Big Guy now ! 😜
VP of Hydration Brad Miller!
Nah he is already the Munchie Maestro
This is good
I’m very happy for Doug, now I know why he refused to criticize the kings for their unbalanced roster, for their in ability to control Marvin Bagley and the fact that they can’t seem to make a basic trade
Pictured below: Luke Walton welcoming Doug Christie to his coaching staff:
Doug:
“Hi Coach Walton, I collected some tape for tomorrow’s game. Would you like to go over these?”
Walton:
(drawn out breath) “Would I like to go over these? …….”No. No, I wouldn’t.”
…….
Walton:
“But I’ll tell you what I WOULD like to do. You ever hear of a place called Dave & Buster’s, Dougie?”
Doug: “Coach Walton, I’ve been hitting the tape hard lately, and we have some great choices for free agents that could help your defense in the–”
Walton: “Dougie, the only choice we need to make today is this: sativa, or indica. Personally…. I’d like to sign both.” *exhaaaaaaale*
Walton has difficulty counting 4 fingers. How is he going to deal with TWO HANDS?
Unless you want to see him naked counting to 21, I will leave Walton as he is (as limited as he is)
Now get rid of Jones and give the people what they want, Grant and Jerry reunited!
Just go with a Gary Gerould/Jerry Reynolds simulcast and call it good.
I’d be fine with Jerry Reynolds and Slamson in the booth.
If Slamson is in the booth, then who’s the mascot?
Bill Walton?
Luke father, Luke son…
Who could possibly down vote this comment. Kings legends right there
There’s always some dudes in here that downvote everything….even the Jman prediction rhymes!!
No NBA coaching experience?
THROW MOMMA FROM THE CAR, I’M BUYIN WHAT VIVEK IS CARRYING!
any coaching experience at all at any level? i guess might as well start near the top.
Love you Doug, will not be particularly missing your play by play. That said if it gives Kyle Draper the fill in/more air time I might be wishing you back. I’m sorry, he is just not very good
That statement from Walton does not read like he had any say whatsoever to bring Christie in.
That’s my favorite part of it. He was added by the Kings, not by the coach. In most cases, I wouldn’t care for having an assistant foisted onto a coach’s staff, but that monkey dick needs all of the help that he can get.
I’m ok with Harkless signing for 2 years 9mil
Yeah I just saw that.
Yeah baby. I’m good with that too.
Congrats to Doug. I think he will be a great resource in teaching Def – assuming the players listen. Didn’t Kalamian leave, and wasn’t he the “defensive coordinator.” Does that mean Doug is the new “defensive coodinator?”
Also, I liked Doug as a commentator. I’ll miss him. But you could kind of tell he was having a hard time watching the defense averse Kings from last year. “if it were me, I’d be picking up full-court.” Can’t remember how many times he said that.
Pollard or Brad Miller as KHTK replacement? Have to be local right?
Agreed. Would be good to see the greatest defensive turnarounds in NBA history. My hope we only go up from here. Take it away D!!!
Does this mean Kayte moves up to color commentary? Or do they go hire C-Webb since he is no longer at TNT?
I would be in favor of Kayte replacing Doug on King’s broadcasts. Good call. I could see them making a run at C-Webb though.
I am going with Kayte. She was good on the all woman show/game, and more importantly to the Kangz, she will likely be wayyyy less costly than C-Webb.
On the plus side for Kayte, Doug can add her to his staff after the all-star break.
Would be happy with MJ and CWeb. As long as Webb can speak from both sides of his mouth underwater and eat everything MJ throws out there.
Both sides of his mouth? Left and right? That would make him amphibious.
Alex Len two year deal with the Kings of Sacramento.
Sign and trade Holmes now
Between this and Moe, when is the championship parade celebration scheduled?
What year is the Arena lease up?
2 years after that
I’ve found Doug’s insights, particularly as they relate to playing defense, to be very sharp, both in the micro and macro sense. This is a great addition, particularly if it means that the players can ignore Walton’s defensive schemes, assuming such things have ever existed.
yep. Don’t listen to fluke at all. Listen to DC.
Oh boy, the company yes-man and player from the glory days forced onto the coach’s staff? What could possibly go wrong?
Does this improve our defense to top 10?
Baby steps, it wasn’t even top 30 last season.
I know I know, but on a serious note I hope Doug has some impact on our defense. Even if he’s more verbal on the bench than Luke, getting on the guys when we are on D. I know he doesn’t have coaching experience, but hopefully years playing in the league and being a good defender has given him some ideas of how to implement a defensive scheme.
Over 5 years, it’s the 4th time they’ve hired one of the top 6 players from the 2001-2002 team … when most other NBA teams would not have made the same hire for the job. (Kings were searching to replace Rex and experienced and good 3rd assistant. So Doug may be a decent long term coach, they are backfilling Rex with a 50 year old that’s never coached). Bobby and Doug were both stretches this summer, and already on the payroll of a team that’s suffered massive losses. They probably would not have been the hire for the same openings they landed in 20-29 other cities. I get why people like it … but this is so Kings.
This one’s tough. On one hand, yes it is SO Kings to keep doing this over and over again.
But on the other hand, of that entire group, I feel like Doug is the biggest student of the game (and the one with the highest BBIQ by far). That makes me think he is the one with the best shot of actually being successful.
So in that sense, it was SO Kings to make him the last of that group to get a shot.
That’s very well put. DC can be a real asset, and one to whom players will listen, because he didn’t take plays off on defense. He was a guy who could run things at both ends, and made it possible for a team not exactly exploding with bulldog defenders to make opposing offenses uncomfortable.
I don’t think this is to grease the skids for him to become head coach anytime soon. He’s still a relatively young man, and I don’t think he’ll be pushed into the big chair. For now, he’s a coach who may be able to improve the defensive effort. If he can pull it off, maybe then a bigger job might make sense. For now, I like everything about his change in job.
Funderburke
Vince Carter will become the color Commentator
I personally didn’t enjoy the repetitive and obscure (at least to me) style that Doug had calling a game. So I am ok with the change. I have had the chance to interact with Doug on a few occasions and he was always a gentleman. No heirs, no superstar attitude and nothing if not genuine. I always appreciated that…and I hope he finds great success in the coaching world. Good luck Doug.
I may be wrong but I think Doug has at least 1 son so there could be some heirs. I totally agree with you that he seems like a down to earth dude who doesn’t put on airs. Good for Doug. As goofy as he was on air he was a tough MF on the court and if he can bring some of that he should help the team, I don’t believe he’s going to make them any worse.
Badge Legend