The New York Knicks moved on from Tom Thibodeau this summer despite having their most successful season in over two decades. The man they chose to replace him? Longtime head coach Mike Brown.
Matt Barnes doesn’t believe Mike Brown can lead Knicks to a title
The move was met with big expectations, as now many believe the Knicks need to at least make the NBA Finals to reach expectations set on them. Brown has coached several teams throughout his career, including a brief tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2011-12.
One of the players that was on that Lakers team was former NBA player now turned podcaster Matt Barnes. The former forward threw some shade towards Brown on the All The Smoke podcast.
NBA: Preseason-Minnesota Timberwolves at New York Knicks, mike brown
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“Mike Brown to the Knicks will it work?…F—k no… Mike’s a great person, to me he’s not a leader of men…He was my coach with the Lakers..Kobe & Ron Artest used to walk all over that motherf—er…Sacramento…lost respect of the team quickly…Too nice for his own good,” Barnes said (h/t New York Basketball on X).
The Lakers posted a 42-29 in the 71 games Brown coached the Lakers. Unfortunately, the team didn’t see much playoff success, as they were knocked out in the second round in the only full season Brown coached them.
Brown found his touch as a head coach again
Following his brief Lakers tenure, Brown returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers for one season, but it went poorly, as they went 33-49. After that, he became an assistant on the Golden State Warriors, where he won three championships across six seasons as an assistant.
Brown seemed to find his touch again as a head coach when he joined the Sacramento Kings. In his first season with them, he got the franchise back in the playoffs behind a high-powered offense that ranked tops in the entire league.
NBA: Preseason-Washington Wizards at New York Knicks
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Unfortunately, there wasn’t much success for him after that due to poor roster construction, but now he has a very talented Knicks squad in his hands. He has a potent offensive duo in Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, and the hope is that those two will be maximized under Brown’s up-tempo offensive system.
It remains to be seen if Brown can lead the group to a title this year, but if everything goes as planned, there’s no reason to believe they shouldn’t be in true contention come playoff time.