11 months ago
25
Chris HerringJul 8, 2025, 04:46 PM ET
NEW YORK -- In his introductory quality conference, caller Knicks manager Mike Brown said helium was making a constituent to instrumentality his fiancée to a fistful of the city's restaurants upon getting the job.
That was necessary, helium said, due to the fact that determination astir surely won't beryllium a accidental to bash it erstwhile the autumn play rolls around.
"There's a batch of enactment to do," said Brown, who was sporting a navy bluish suit and wearing a Knicks pin successful his jacket's lapel. "But I'm looking guardant to getting started."
Brown, officially hired Monday arsenic the 32nd manager successful the team's history, inherits immoderate large shoes, comparatively speaking. He takes implicit for manager Tom Thibodeau -- whom Brown repeatedly called a person -- aft the erstwhile Knicks caput antheral was fto spell pursuing the team's deepest playoff tally successful 25 years. New York, which has made the playoffs successful 4 of the past 5 years, is coming disconnected back-to-back 50-win years for the archetypal clip since the mid-1990s.
Brown, 55, was cautious to not critique his predecessor. He avoided divulging immoderate particulars -- beryllium it the starting lineup's struggles successful the 2nd fractional of the season, oregon antiaircraft strategies -- astir however helium mightiness change the Knicks' playing style. The closest helium came to thing definitive was saying he'd mesh his violative and antiaircraft philosophies to marque definite they acceptable the club's talented personnel. Everything other volition travel into greater absorption erstwhile helium fills retired his coaching unit successful the coming weeks and has much conversations with his players, helium said.
He addressed the conception of expectations head-on, though.
Asked what it meant to instrumentality implicit a nine that conscionable moved connected from its manager aft falling conscionable 2 wins shy of the NBA Finals, Brown suggested that it didn't signifier him. "Nobody has immoderate bigger expectations than I do. My expectations are high," helium said. "This is the Knicks and Madison Square Garden. It's iconic. ... I emotion and clasp the expectations that travel on with it."
Brown knows what it is to beryllium held to an incredibly precocious standard.
The two-time Coach of the Year took the Cavs to their first-ever NBA Finals backmost successful 2007 earlier losing his occupation successful 2010. Cleveland past rehired him successful 2013, lone to fto him spell astatine the extremity of that season. The Lakers axed him conscionable 5 games into his 2nd play backmost successful 2013. And past backmost successful December, the Sacramento Kings -- whom Brown had taken to playoffs successful 2023 aft an NBA-record agelong 16-season drought -- opted to occurrence him arsenic good aft a 13-18 commencement past season.
"The league is the league -- there's ever going to beryllium ebbs and flows successful presumption of however the hiring and firing process goes," helium said.
Brown, who's won 4 NBA titles arsenic an adjunct with the Spurs and Warriors, spoke glowingly astir a fistful of Knick players. Jalen Brunson's versatility arsenic good arsenic the chiseled styles of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson, gives Brown endless options connected offense, helium said. Brown besides referenced the extent that newcomers Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele provide.
Among the biggest parts of the job, Brown said, would beryllium holding his players accountable -- and them doing the aforesaid with him. The manager has agelong been known for his willingness to critique his teams, beryllium it publically oregon down closed doors.
"At the extremity of the day, it's astir relationships," Brown said. "It's astir trust. Once you turn those relationships, past you tin speech openly astir thing that you request to spell successful the absorption you request to go. I'm going to beryllium unfastened and honorable with them, and I'm definite they're going to beryllium unfastened and honorable with me."
