The Knicks are expected to hire Mike Brown as their new head coach, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link) confirms Brown has been offered the job and says the two sides are working “expeditiously” on finalizing the terms of a contract.
Brown, who began his coaching career as an assistant with the Wizards, Spurs, and Pacers, has since held head coaching positions with the Cavaliers (twice), Lakers, and Kings, as well as spending six years on the Warriors’ staff as Steve Kerr‘s top assistant.
He holds a career regular season record of 454-304 (.599), with a 50-40 (.556) mark in the postseason.
A Coach of the Year in Cleveland in 2009 and again in Sacramento in 2023, Brown helped the Kings snap a 16-year playoff drought two seasons ago, but after the team missed the playoffs in 2024 and got off to a slow start this past fall, he was let go and replaced with Doug Christie.
The Knicks’ decision to hire Brown caps off an eventful head coaching search that began with the team requesting permission to speak to several coaches already under contract with teams. The Mavericks (Jason Kidd), Timberwolves (Chris Finch), Rockets (Ime Udoka), Hawks (Quin Snyder), and Bulls (Billy Donovan) all declined the Knicks’ requests, prompting the club to turn to candidates who didn’t currently hold head coaching jobs.
Brown was one of at least four candidates interviewed by the Knicks, along with Taylor Jenkins, James Borrego, and Micah Nori. The team also reached out to South Carolina’s Dawn Staley to discuss the job, though it’s unclear if she had a formal interview.
Brown had a second interview that included team owner James Dolan on Tuesday, with reporting later in the day indicating he was the frontrunner for the job. He was the only candidate confirmed to get a second meeting.
In his new role, Brown will be tasked with helping a Knicks team that advanced to the conference finals this spring make it over the hump and win its first championship since 1973. He’ll take over a roster headlined by All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
knicks are going with a defensive minded coach. Smart move because defense wins in the playoffs.
The coach they just fired was one of those.
Brown hold the nba playoffs record: 11 playoffs win in a row
The scariest thing is Sweeping the West
Let’s speak loud: Sweeping the Western Conference
A lot of coaches could have equaled that record with that 2017 Warriors team.
Brown hasn’t had a team finish higher than 13th in Defensive Rating since he was with Lebron in Cleveland over 15 years ago. If they’re prioritizing defense, then they should have just kept Thibs.
Brown hasn’t had a team capable of playing defense since the Lebron Cavs. No one should have been expecting high defensive output on teams built around Klay Thompson or D’Angelo Russell.
You realize Klay is one of the top, if not top defenders on the perimeter. Just because he drops threes doesn’t omit the fact he was one of the best.
“Brown hasn’t had a team capable of playing defense”
You can’t be a “defensive minded coach” if your teams are bottom half of the league in defense, and then you just blame the players for that fact.
I think you are overstating the ineffectiveness of Brown’s coaching on defense.
The teams he has been involved in coaching have generally become better at defense while he has been there.
Take last year (24-25 season) for example. While he was there, Sacramento was in the top half of the league in defensive metrics after he was fired, the defense metrics crapped out.
I am sure you have a reference to him blaming the players but I am not aware of it personally.
Warriors had great defense when Brown was the defensive coach.
He’s not better than Thibs on defense. Yet he is solid there. But Knicks do need this Brown now ..
“Offensive Excellence: He implemented an offensive system that resulted in the Kings having the highest offensive rating in the NBA in 2022-2023. They also led the league in points per game.
Pacific Division Title: The Kings won their first Pacific Division title since 2003.”
He helps offense and uses bench. He will be successful. Knicks still need to fix their team D. Behind Towns and Brunson. Need a D stud 4. And Hart on bench. Eventually I see a Mitch trade.
He is a younger Thibs. Imo Thibs and Dolan clashed.
He is not winning that. I also read Dolan doesn’t like Malone. I hope Brown can hire him. Need an offensive mind next to him.
I know a little birdie whos very fond of Malone who might wanna fly the coup soon !!!
Jk NYK fans ….or am I
D@mn it.
LolKnicks
lmaooooooo
So this is who you end up with, Dolan?
Might help in the short term – for 1 thing, he’s better at using bench players.
Unless your name is Keon Ellis
Well that was a fun merry-go-round.
I cannot call Brown a top 10 coach in the NBA but I also cannot call Brown a bottom 10 coach in the NBA.
So my thought is eh…. Knicks could do worse and he probably won’t stand in the way of them winning a championship, if they ever assemble a roster capable of such.
And he is probably better than Thibs.
Western Conference has been dominant for the past 29 years,
Brown is going to win the East
I don’t buy these 8 teams next season
Celtics – salary dump
Pacers – salary dump
76ers – soft
Hawks – soft
Bucks – overrated
Magic – overrated
Heat – Nightmare
Bulls – Nightmare
Where can you find the above teams?
Scary: Too many tanking teams …….
No Cavs or Pistons?
Bot was not updated.
Knicks are gonna do Knicks things.
I love it.
You’re a Bulls fan.
At least the Bulls have a won a championship in the last 50 years lmao. Knicks gonna knick
And? Over the last almost 30 years, the Bulls have been a dumpster fire. Enjoy your 30+ year old championships, I guess.
Rct,
Banners fly forever, well for some of us anyways.
Congrats on that Eastern Conference appearance though! It should satisfy the fanbase for the next 25 years.
raz427: You have one ECF appearance in the last 27 years, only made the playoffs once in the last eight years, and the Bulls outlook is much worse than the Knicks right now. Enjoy your old banners, it’s the only thing you’ll have for the next decade.
MAR,
Not only win one, but tripled them in titles, with 20 years fewer of existence.
Great username btw, MAR was a beast growing up. Incredible shooter and was so cocky.
Have fun with Resiendorf owning that dumpster fire you call a sports team because its fitting for their fans.
Have fun with your eastern conference appearance banner!!!
Have fun with being no better then a play in team with a below .500 record that just about half the league can easily take on!
Funny a Bulls fan talking smack. They have been smacked and spanked since MJ left. Broke that team up cause they were cheap.
Knicks have just stepped back in the limelight. So it will be years of looking up for Bulls fans. Enjoy the view……….
It’s comical lol.
Hahahahaha
Mike Brown is terrible and I’ve ecstatic that the Knicks went this route. Dude is awful with in game adjustments. Him and Thibs are the same tier coaches. I guess the only benefit of this switch is that he’ll likely use his bench a little more lol.
Some might say that utilizing and developing their bench a bit more than Thibs was willing to do is all the Knicks need to take the next step.
He’ll be gone after 2 years and the Knicks won’t make it back to the ECF during those 2 years.
One step forward, two steps back.
At least the Kings are happy since they dont have to pay his salary next yr. Maybe this was theaster plan for Brown too. I mean do you want to be in ny or sac?
It’s really sad. NYK have been on an upward trend line for 5 years fueled by one of the best NBA coaching jobs in this century. Then, right on the cusp of what should be the trend’s two best seasons, the FO (likely at the insistance of the idiot owner) pulls the rug out from under it. Organizationally, it’s the ultimate unforced error. Now, the next 2 years figure to be just good enough to be the most frustrating in the team’s history, at least for the real fans, because when these seasons are in the books, it will likely be clear that it was all right there for them if they had stayed the course. The price of being a fan I guess.
Embarrassing
I just don’t get why Malone wasn’t given a chance. I read somewhere Dolan didn’t like coaches who feuded with FO. Brown is basically a younger Thibs. Very similar coaching styles. He’s more a company man. Only thing I worry about. Is Dolan taking control and trying to run things. Thibs wouldn’t stand for that. I hope Rose has some …. to keep him away. Knicks window can shut just as quickly as it has opened. Not thrilled with Brown. Just waiting to see who he adds to his staff.
But you do know. Malone is the young Thibs. He’s a defensive oriented, old school, coach. He uses a short rotation when he doesn’t trust the back end of the bench. The biggest difference, other than age and pedigree (Malone is the son of a long time NBA coach), is Malone is more hot headed and volitile, and will get in players’ faces and even call them out in the media at times. NOW, if you fired Thibs for being Thibs, why would you turn around and hire Malone-??
FWIW, I would have hired Malone in a heartbeat (first choice). But I didn’t (and wouldn’t have) fired Thibs.
Brown is not in the league of either Thibs or Malone as a HC. He knows the game, but can’t create and drive a team culture, which is how this NYK team was built and what it relies on.
Malone or Jenkins for me, oh well. Seems Dolan needs to put his ego aside and take a back seat. Not liking Malone has cost the knicks a championship level coach. Yes Mike, you can coach. But, I’m picking your staff, SMH. You didn’t make your money buy being a basketball genius I’m sure. Make the right hires and let them do their job. Only input from these billionaire owners should be….Yes, we can spend money. Or, no, we need to save money atm. Other than that, enjoy the champagne, caviar and count your money.
Damn white of you, Nrg82!