Reports suggest the New York Knicks are nearing an agreement to appoint Mike Brown as their new head coach. A deal is reportedly being finalized, concluding the search that followed the unexpected dismissal of former Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau after the team`s Eastern Conference finals defeat to the Indiana Pacers in six games.
The Knicks evaluated numerous candidates before ultimately settling on Brown to guide the team starting in the 2025-26 season. Thibodeau was let go in early June, shortly after their playoff exit. Over five seasons with the Knicks, Thibodeau achieved a 56.5% regular-season winning percentage, with a total record of 226-174. In the 2024-25 season, New York finished 51-31, securing the No. 3 seed in the East.
New York was reportedly interested in several currently employed head coaches, including Ime Udoka (Rockets), Jason Kidd (Mavericks), Billy Donovan (Bulls), and Quin Snyder (Hawks), but appeared unable to secure their release. Taylor Jenkins, Pelicans assistant James Borrego, and Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori, alongside Brown, were reported candidates who interviewed for the position. The Knicks also reportedly contacted South Carolina women`s coach Dawn Staley, though she was not among the final contenders.
Mike Brown`s head coaching path has been somewhat unconventional. Instead of developing with a young roster, he was immediately put in charge of the Cleveland Cavaliers just as LeBron James was ascending to superstardom. He guided the Cavaliers to the NBA Finals in 2007. However, following subsequent playoff disappointments, he was dismissed after the 2010 season, the same offseason James departed Cleveland.
A year later, he took on one of basketball`s most high-pressure roles: coaching the Los Angeles Lakers. Succeeding Phil Jackson for the 2011-12 season, Brown aimed to maximize the remaining years of Kobe Bryant`s prime. The team reached the second round of the playoffs in his single complete season, but he was fired early in the 2012-13 season after a 1-4 start. He later had one more season coaching Cleveland but was again let go just before James rejoined the team.
From there, he served as an assistant coach under Steve Kerr with the Golden State Warriors for six seasons. The Warriors` approach is, in many respects, something the Knicks aspire to replicate. Two notable criticisms of Thibodeau`s coaching were his relatively stagnant offensive schemes and his reluctance to utilize his bench players extensively. The Warriors are known for their dynamic offense built on motion and passing, embodying a philosophy of `strength in numbers.`
Brown applied the knowledge gained from his time in Golden State to Sacramento, where he guided the Kings to their first playoff appearance in 19 years. During that successful season, the Kings boasted what was then the most efficient offense in NBA history. They challenged the Warriors fiercely in the first round, taking the series to seven games. It`s speculated the Kings might have advanced were it not for a hand injury sustained by De`Aaron Fox and a remarkable 50-point performance by Stephen Curry in Game 7.
However, consistent stability has evaded the Kings for two decades, and true to form, their organizational issues eventually affected Brown in the subsequent seasons. On paper, Sacramento`s 2023-24 season was quite similar to the prior 2022-23 campaign, winning 46 games compared to 48. Yet, the competitive nature of the Western Conference caused them to fall from the No. 3 seed to the No. 9 seed. They subsequently missed the playoffs. Following a 13-18 start to the most recent season, marked by several frustrating late-game losses, the Kings dismissed him and promoted Doug Christie to head coach.
Although Brown has yet to win an NBA championship as a head coach, he is a two-time Coach of the Year award winner (2009 and 2023) and well-acquainted with the intense scrutiny that accompanies his new position. Expectations for the Knicks next season are exceptionally high. With key injuries (Achilles tears) affecting the presumed top contenders in the Eastern Conference, the Pacers and Celtics, the Knicks perceive their most favorable opportunity to reach the NBA Finals in recent memory. Concluding that Thibodeau was not the coach to capitalize on this chance, New York is reportedly placing its championship aspirations on Mike Brown.
Jasper Hawthorne