Mike Brown, Knicks
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Former Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown is set to be named the next New York Knicks head coach.
The New York Knicks have become the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference next season after the news of the expected hiring of Mike Brown as their next head coach, per multiple reports.
The Knicks’ championship odds next season jumped to +800 at Fanatics Sportsbook, trailing only defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder (+240) and the Kevin Durant-boosted Houston Rockets (+800). The re-tooled Denver Nuggets (+850) and Cleveland Cavaliers (+900) round up the top five favorites for next season.
Brown, a two-time NBA Coach of the Year, has met with Knicks owner James Dolan on Tuesday, July 1, according to SNY’s Ian Begley, and the deal is expected to be finalized soon.
But while they are the favorites to win the Eastern Conference, the expectation for Brown is to win a championship next season.
The Knicks fired Thibodeau even after guiding the franchise to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. It was not enough for the Knicks, who spent so much on a roster that they believed has more potential than it showed under Thibodeau, whose rigid ways was his undoing.
Mike Brown was Early Favorite
According to the New York Post, the Knicks looked for a proven coach, who is willing to expand his rotation and high on a player development and most importantly, will collaborate with the front office.
Brown was identified as the top candidate early in the process, per The Athletic, after the Knicks were denied to speak with five active head coaches led by Dallas Mavericks‘ Jason Kidd.
The 55-year-old Brown is bringing more than three decades of coaching experience. He is a multi-titled assistant coach, most recently with the Golden State Warriors, and went to the NBA Finals as a head coach in Cleveland.
Brown previously impressed the Knicks during their first coaching search in 2019 when the former power agent Leon Rose took over as team president.
After losing to Thibodeau in that coaching search, Brown remained with the Golden State Warriors and won his fourth championship as an assistant coach in 2022. He parlayed that into his fourth head coaching job when the Sacramento Kings hired him ahead of the 2022-23 season.
Deeper Knicks Team
Jordan Clarkson, Knicks
Getty Jordan Clarkson is bolstering the New York Knicks bench.
In Brown’s first year, the Kings secured a playoff berth for the first time since 2006, earning him his second NBA Coach of the Year award. He became the first coach in NBA history to win the award by a unanimous vote.
Ironically, Brown, known as a defensive guru like Thibodeau, guided the Kings into becoming the league’s top offense in his first year in historic fashion. The Kings regressed from there, missing the playoffs in Brown’s second year at the helm.
Under his watch, the Kings’ defense never ranked higher than 18th because of their inability to defend the 3-point line, particularly wide-open shots, where they ranked 28th in the league before his firing. Ultimately, a 13-18 start in his third season cost Brown his job.
In New York, Brown will be inheriting a team that has all the tools to become an offensive juggernaut led by the Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns duo complemented by three elite defenders — OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Mitchell Robinson.
The Knicks bolstered their bench which ranked last in minutes and scoring last season with solid free agent acquistions.
They just signed wide-bodied French forward Guerschon Yabusele to their midlevel exception while former Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson will join them once he clears waivers for the veteran minimum. The newcomers will join holdovers Josh Hart and Miles McBride in the second unit.