Knicks · Mike Brown will be the next NY Knicks coach (page 7)

Nalod @ 7/4/2025 1:29 PM
DLeethal wrote:Weighing coaches as “better” like they are players is dumb. Coaching is all about fit. The number of coaches who are “better” regardless of fit can be counted on one hand and Mike Brown nor Thibs are one of them. And even those guys would likely get exposed if their “fit” changed I.E Kerr or Spoelstra.

Thibs also didn’t get fired based on end result. We all know this. He got fired due to a flawed process, the belief his voice plateaued in the locker room and his inability to work collaboratively with the organization which is the same reason he got fired in CHI and MIN.

Mike Brown will be judged more by who he beats and loses to then simply “how far” he gets. If he loses as a favorite he’s in trouble. If he loses as a heavy underdog he’s not. I don’t think he’s being judged on more than that in terms of end result.

Also in terms of pure resume he’s probably got Thibs beat. Not sure why he’s talked about as a lesser Thibs in that regard.

Well put.

LivingLegend @ 7/5/2025 12:25 PM
EwingsGlass wrote:
LivingLegend wrote:What a concept - a coach calling out players for not following basic instructions or for making dumb plays.

How dare he.

Just play them more minutes so they figure out how to get it right.

Best thing I've heard about Brown is that he likes to practice hard.

I prefer whole team practicing harder and offset that with lower minutes for key players and use actual practice performance to determine what bench players will take available minutes.

It's a pretty obvious thing that if you play starters heavier minutes - the starters are going to pace themselves (particularly early in games and season) so that they have something in the tank for the finish of games/season.

The ? becomes what is more effective - playing starters heavy minutes where they are coasting for part of their minutes and bench has little development.

Or - lower starter minutes & they maximize their time on floor (less minutes but more sustained effort) + max energy from bench players even though less talented they player harder and they might actually develop.

I think there is room for Brown to bring some starter minutes down 4-10 minutes per night while actually boosting overall team production and effort.

GustavBahler @ 7/6/2025 7:48 PM
https://clutchpoints.com/nba/new-york-kn...

Why Mike Brown is better Knicks bet than Tom Thibodeau to win NBA title
Tom Thibodeau had a lot of success with the Knicks, but Mike Brown is a good bet to take them to the next level.

By Drew MarescaJul 6, 2025 at 2:37 PM ET

The New York Knicks ended their coaching search this week, reaching an agreement with two-time Coach of the Year winner Mike Brown. The Knicks will be Brown's fourth stop as a head coach. New York hopes to be the first team with which Brown can take the final step and win an NBA championship, but the pressure will be on from the very first game.

Brown replaces Tom Thibodeau, who led the Knicks to an impressive 226-174 record across five seasons and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in franchise history since 2000. Despite falling two wins short of the NBA Finals, New York made the decision to fire Thibodeau.

Why did Knicks fire Tom Thibodeau?
The decision came as a surprise, as Thibodeau had a three-year extension that was set to kick in beginning next season. But the front office very clearly understood that the new salary cap rules make for smaller championship windows. Thus, removing him was all about capitalizing on that window.

Coach Brown may or may not be an all-time great coach, but this Knicks team in the present-day NBA doesn't need an all-time great coach. It simply cannot be held back by a coach's stubborn preferences or philosophies, and that is exactly what removing Thibdoeau was about. The fact that the Knicks' brass became smitten with Brown was icing on the cake. But leadership was very clearly willing to go shopping for a new head coach without any guarantees.

But how, exactly, is Brown an upgrade on Thibodeau? Much of it has to do with the assumption that Brown will be more open to consistently playing his bench—and not only after being backed into a corner by injuries or the threat of elimination.

Thibodeau received significant criticism about his limited rotation throughout his tenure as Knicks coach. He rarely played bench players extended minutes, except when injuries struck, and he stuck with his starters for significant minutes in the playoffs despite the lineup posting an atrocious net rating.

Thibodeau's limited rotation allegedly became a major source of frustration in the 2025 NBA Playoffs, as he resisted playing Mitchell Robinson extended minutes. Thibodeau eventually relented, inserting Robinson into the starting lineup. But even then, he continued to play Josh Hart more minutes than Robinson.

Mike Brown can build on what Tom Thibodeau established


Mike Brown previously coached the Cleveland Cavaliers (in two separate stints), Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings. He boasts a career 454-304 record, and he oversaw the 2006-07 Cavaliers team that advanced to the NBA Finals before losing. Brown has also been an assistant for Rick Carlisle, Gregg Popovich, and Steve Kerr in his career. Brown's most recent stretch with the Kings demonstrated a unique ability to run complicated schemes and connect with his players—even if he was fired midway through last season.

Brown is known for going a little deeper into his bench. In his last full season in Sacramento, Brown played 11 players 12 or more minutes per game. Granted, injuries impacted who played with whom, meaning Brown didn't play 11 players for 12 minutes in every game of the season. But he is still likely to lean on his reserves more than Thibodeau.

Additionally, the Knicks wanted a more collaborative coach who is open to management input and involves his assistants. That is something that Brown reportedly impressed leadership with in his interview.

At the end of the day, the Knicks' decision to hire a new coach was about leadership's concern with the possibility of plateauing. Sure, individual players may have supported Thibodeau, but his lack of creativity in lineup construction and offensive sets left a lot to be desired. While it remains to be seen if Brown can build on what Thibodeau accomplished in New York, management's aggressive maneuvering demonstrates an urgency that will be much appreciated by everyone around the team—unless it doesn't work out.

GustavBahler @ 7/6/2025 7:53 PM
From Yahoo..

The New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns are interested in hiring Milwaukee Bucks top assistant Darvin Ham for their vacancies regarding the same role, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Ham leaving Milwaukee for another assistant coaching position may not materialize, though.

Per Stein, the Bucks "love" having Ham back with the organization and are "determined" to keep him with the team unless he's able to find a head coaching opportunity.

ToddTT @ 7/6/2025 8:58 PM
GustavBahler wrote:From Yahoo..

The New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns are interested in hiring Milwaukee Bucks top assistant Darvin Ham for their vacancies regarding the same role, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Ham leaving Milwaukee for another assistant coaching position may not materialize, though.

Per Stein, the Bucks "love" having Ham back with the organization and are "determined" to keep him with the team unless he's able to find a head coaching opportunity.

I don’t know how I feel about this.

Have we had any coaches named after food before?

108 days until next season.

martin @ 7/7/2025 7:30 AM
newyorknewyork @ 7/7/2025 8:28 AM
Anyone know when the PC will be?
VDesai @ 7/7/2025 8:51 AM
I have no interest in Darvin Ham. If he's not an X's and O's guy or player development guy, what is he adding to the bench? When he was Lakers coach he was known for underachieving and bad in game decision making.
Philc1 @ 7/7/2025 12:22 PM
TheMTL wrote:I'll wait and see on Mike Brown. I do think that Thibs would still have his job had he been willing to play his bench more

What you mean like actually use Mitch second half of game 6 against the pacers instead of minutes restricting him in the possible last game of the season?

GustavBahler @ 7/8/2025 7:55 AM
Looking forward to hearing this press conference. In part because the Knicks are a media desert. Will Leon make an appearance? Would seem appropriate. Hope the questions are good!
LivingLegend @ 7/8/2025 9:51 AM
ToddTT wrote:
GustavBahler wrote:From Yahoo..

The New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns are interested in hiring Milwaukee Bucks top assistant Darvin Ham for their vacancies regarding the same role, according to NBA insider Marc Stein.

Ham leaving Milwaukee for another assistant coaching position may not materialize, though.

Per Stein, the Bucks "love" having Ham back with the organization and are "determined" to keep him with the team unless he's able to find a head coaching opportunity.

I don’t know how I feel about this.

Have we had any coaches named after food before?

108 days until next season.

Kind of hoping for more a technician for asst. coach BUT it's possible front office and Brown could think Ham would bring a toughness to the locker room & team (even as an assistant) maybe someone to push Kat on the details.

LivingLegend @ 7/8/2025 9:53 AM
GustavBahler wrote:Looking forward to hearing this press conference. In part because the Knicks are a media desert. Will Leon make an appearance? Would seem appropriate. Hope the questions are good!

I think Leon realizes anything he says the press will either look to twist or use against him down the road - particularly coming off Thibs firing.

I would think Leon may be there but given his history I do wonder if he will be available to answer questions.

Me personally I don't really care if I ever hear Leon saying basically nothing at a press conference - only care that he's done a great job since taking the job.

LivingLegend @ 7/8/2025 9:54 AM
newyorknewyork wrote:Anyone know when the PC will be?

Tues - 2:30PM EST.

Nalod @ 7/8/2025 12:27 PM
Obligatory Picture with Brown holding the ball, sitting flanked by Leon and Dolan.
We saw that picture a lot the last 20 years.
GustavBahler @ 7/8/2025 3:09 PM
They played some exerpts on NBA Today of the Brown presser. Said he was here to win Chips'.

Windhorst is talking about his experience in building teams to suit the roster. Which is what Riley did when he took the Knicks to the Finals.

Would love to see the Knicks win its first Championship in 50 plus years, but we got to get there first. I think Brown gives us the best chance of all the available coaches.

fishmike @ 7/8/2025 3:28 PM
its an experienced ready to win roster with a set top 6 of guys who play hard and play to win. That's the easy part.

The hard part will be doing or not doing what Thibs got fired for and getting us to the finals. Anything else is a regress.

This is also a critical year as Mitch/Mikal are in walk years.

SergioNYK @ 7/8/2025 3:38 PM
I remember being so hyped and pumped up for Joe Judge and Brian Daboll's introduction as Giants head coaches and they both ended up being trash so I never trust these.

But Brown is a vet and a good coach. Seems like an easy going chill guy who obviously knows his stuff. I think getting that staff and most importantly the right associate coach is key plus getting JB on his side. Xs and Os and managing the roles and personalities shouldn't be too difficult with this roster.

50 wins and ECF is very doable again if we are healthy.

martin @ 7/8/2025 5:46 PM
ToddTT @ 7/8/2025 6:22 PM
martin wrote:

He's already lost all credibility.

The most knowledgeable fans? Does he know us at all?????

ToddTT @ 7/8/2025 6:36 PM
I prefer to live in the past.

Philc1 @ 7/8/2025 8:34 PM
SergioNYK wrote:I remember being so hyped and pumped up for Joe Judge and Brian Daboll's introduction as Giants head coaches and they both ended up being trash so I never trust these.

But Brown is a vet and a good coach. Seems like an easy going chill guy who obviously knows his stuff. I think getting that staff and most importantly the right associate coach is key plus getting JB on his side. Xs and Os and managing the roles and personalities shouldn't be too difficult with this roster.

50 wins and ECF is very doable again if we are healthy.

Joe Judge? I knew he was Gase 2.0 before the Maras hired him.

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