Mike Brown Is Ready To Coach The New York Knicks
Mike Brown is expected to be named the 32nd coach in New York Knicks history after an exhaustive coaching search that lingered for weeks. The process was criticized throughout the sports world for the approach the franchise took to the process along with the choice of firing Tom Thibodeau. Debates raged on about the worthiness of firing the head coach after leading the team to an Eastern Conference Finals run, and the fans murmured over who would eventually take his place. In comes Brown, a decorated coach that brings a lot of intriguing experiences and characteristics to the position. He currently has a .599 winning percentage, which is the 10th best all-time for those with over 500 games coached.
Every coach has strengths and weaknesses. Very few in NBA history are truly infallible as the job is not to be one of perfection. Regardless, it's good to get a deeper read on what some of those positive aspects are before he starts his tenure in New York officially.
Preparation
Brown is notable for the depths he will go to in order to prepare himself for a job. He is meticulous about how he goes about his work, and he is incredibly dedicated to his craft. The hours he puts in to the job can only be bested by…Tom Thibodeau.
Here is an excerpt from a Sports Illustrated piece written about Brown when he first got the Los Angeles Lakers job in 2011:
It may now be easier to understand how Brown was able to swoon James Dolan in his second interview, which may ultimately be the reason why he secured the job. It's a great trait to have that will endear him to fans that can get behind a coach that brings his hard hat and lunch pail to work every day.
Accountability
The Sacramento Kings were in a wasteland in 2022 when they went out looking for a new coach. They hadn't made the playoffs since 2006 and had been one of the laughingstocks of the league throughout this time.
On the other hand, Brown had just come off of three championships with the Warriors as the lead assistant. A jump to the wrong team could have been the death knell to Brown's hopes of sustained success as a head coach. He made that jump, and both sides were rewarded immediately.
There are tons of reasons for why it worked, but Brown's effort to shift the culture of the franchise was paramount. The stench was apparent in Sacramento and it took a concerted effort from him to get everybody behind winning:
Pressure
One of the first headlines that popped up after the Knicks hired Mike Brown was regarding his ability to handle pressure. In 2017 he was forced to coach the Golden State Warriors because Steve Kerr was having health issues due to a back injury. So Brown was thrown into the fire and led the helm in 13 of the 17 games they played in the playoffs. They won every single game that he coached.
Brown put the experience in its simplest terms during an interview the year after:
Coaching the Los Angeles Lakers the year after they won the NBA Finals while replacing one of the best coaches of all-time? Sounds like a bit of pressure.
Adaptability
The person that led the Cleveland Cavaliers over 10 years ago is not the same man that will be entering New York. His reputation has evolved over time as he was branded a defensive wizard for years, but the perception of Brown changed after his first year with the Kings. Sacramento broke records with an offense that led the entire league with a 118.6 rating. The team won 48 games and were a win away from reaching the Western Conference Semifinals.
Even so, Brown made changes in order to reach different heights. Not everything worked, but it was his willingness that shows his evolution as a person:
Brown has the same opportunity to push the Knicks into the greatness category. Let's see if he is able to pull it off.
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