A few notes on the Mike Brown hire, how the Knicks got there and what happens next…
Brown has an extensive coaching resume. Two-time NBA Coach of the Year. A career winning percentage of .599 over 754 regular season games. He’s won four NBA titles as an assistant coach in San Antonio (under Gregg Popovich) and Golden State (under Steve Kerr).
He led the Kings to their first playoff berth in 16 seasons in 2023.
Hopefully for the Knicks, Brown’s vast experience has prepared him for the sky-high expectations that come with his next job.
As you know, the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau after a season in which they reached the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. Thibodeau had won at least one playoff series in three straight seasons. Before Thibodeau arrived, the Knicks had won just one playoff series in the past 20 years.
So, team president Leon Rose’s decision to fire Thibodeau was a big gamble. Firing Thibodeau and hiring Brown can’t be a lateral move. It has to elevate the Knicks to the next level, which is the NBA Finals.
Did Rose make the right call? We won’t know the answer to that question until next spring.
But Brown will be under significant pressure to perform from Day One in New York.
THE PROCESS
The Knicks started their search by asking teams for permission to speak to their current head coaches. Each request was denied. In the immediate aftermath of the firing, there was hope that Ime Udoka or Chris Finch could be available. Jason Kidd was also seen as a top candidate. But the pathway to either of those three coaches was non-existent.
So the Knicks turned their attention to established head coaches and assistant coaches. They interviewed Brown, Taylor Jenkins, James Borrego, Micah Nori and Dawn Staley. The Knicks' interest in Staley, first reported by KnicksFanTv, was real. There was a formal interview. But this search was always most likely to end with an established head coach.
The Knicks have that in Brown.
He wasn’t their first choice. But one high-ranking executive who knows Brown well said he was the best option available to the Knicks. Brown was the only candidate to have a second interview and met owner James Dolan formally on Tuesday. A little over 24 hours later, the Knicks were closing in on a contract for their next head coach. The decision was ultimately Rose’s to make. He had the support to make his own choice from key stakeholders in the organization. Rose landed on Brown.
Was it the right call? Again, let’s circle back in late May/early June of 2026.
WHAT ABOUT HIS STAFF?
The Knicks will not force Brown to keep any of Thibodeau’s former assistant coaches. Brown and other coaches were told during the interview process that they’d have autonomy in hiring their own staff. So Brown will build his own staff. He is targeting Borrego for the top role on staff and views Borrego as a great offensive coordinator of sorts.
But Borrego is under contract in New Orleans, so it could be difficult to procure him. Brown is also considering some former Thibodeau assistants for his staff. He will evaluate his options as he gets going, but as he sorts things out, I’d strongly expect Rick Brunson, Darren Ermann, Mark Bryant and Maurice Cheeks to end up on Brown’s staff. How the staff looks will ultimately be his call. But I’d be surprised if the names mentioned above don’t end up on the final staff.
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