The New York Knicks have found their next head coach, and to really nobody's surprise it will be former Cavs and Kings Head man, Mike Brown.
Brown takes over for Tom Thibodeau, who was ousted at the end of the Knicks' postseason run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Thibodeau had coached the Knicks for five years, amassing 226 victories, and was responsible for turning around a once moribund franchise.
Brown was one of four known candidates to interview for the job, including former Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins and New Orleans Pelicans assistant James Borrego. There were reports that the Knicks had also kicked the tires on South Carolina women's basketball head coach Dawn Staley.
Before settling on Brown, the Knicks were also said to be in hot pursuit of ex-Nets superstar Jason Kidd, who has become a very good head coach in his own right, and coached Knicks star Jalen Brunson in Dallas. But the Mavericks would not let Kidd interview.
While his naming is not going to light a fire in the fanbase, Mike Brown has been a successful NBA head coach. A two-time coach of the year (2009, 2023), Brown served as head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he coached LeBron James and Kyrie Irving in their formative seasons, and later coached Kobe Bryant with the Lakers for one season in L.A.
Most recently, Brown was the head coach of the Sacramento Kings for two-plus years, before getting fired midway through the 2024-25 season.
Overall, Brown is 454-304 (.599) in 11 years as a head coach.
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