In a significant move for the franchise’s future, the New York Knicks are poised to appoint Mike Brown, a distinguished two-time NBA Coach of the Year, as their new head coach, according to sources reported by ESPN this Wednesday.
Following the dismissal of Tom Thibodeau a month prior, Knicks president Leon Rose meticulously scrutinized potential coaching candidates. Although the team sought permission to interview five head coaches and faced denials, they engaged with several available candidates through multiple rounds of discussions.
Brown boasts an impressive resume, having secured four championship titles as a leading assistant under notable coaches Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich in Golden State and San Antonio. Over three decades, he has mentored a plethora of NBA superstars while coaching teams like the Warriors, Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings.
His extensive coaching portfolio includes legends such as Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and current Kings stars De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis.
Despite being let go by the Kings in December after a rocky 13-18 start to the season, Brown guided Sacramento to its first playoff appearance in a remarkable 16 years in 2023, ending the longest postseason drought in NBA history while leading the league in offensive rankings.
Notably, Brown was the only candidate who underwent multiple interviews with the Knicks, meeting with Rose, the front office, and owner James Dolan on Tuesday, according to insiders.
Other contenders for the Knicks’ coaching position included former Memphis Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins, New Orleans Pelicans associate coach James Borrego, and Minnesota Timberwolves assistant Micah Nori.
Brown carries a robust head coaching record of 454-304 from his tenures with the Cavaliers, Lakers, and Kings. He garnered his first NBA Coach of the Year award in 2009 with the Cavaliers and bagged his second in 2023 with the Kings. Notably, he led Cleveland to an NBA Finals appearance in 2007, although they were swept by the Spurs.
With the Knicks having fallen to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals last season, the franchise remains keen to reclaim its glory, having last reached the NBA Finals in 1999 and winning the championship in 1973.