Jason Burgos
A new report shows that even coaches for rival teams are confused by some of Mike Brown’s decisions with the New York Knicks‘ starting lineup.
After winning 51 games and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last spring, the Knicks made the bold — and likely rash — decision to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau. Feeling they had gone as far as they could with the veteran coach, who had an impressive run overseeing the roster.
When they could not poach a top coach from another team, the Knicks’ brain trust chose former Cleveland Cavaliers and Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown to be Thibodeau’s successor. Yet with three games left in the regular season, the team has as many wins as they did a year ago, and more frustration heading into the NBA Playoffs.
There are questions about the Knicks’ chemistry and Brown not adjusting his system to get more out of All-Star forward Karl-Anthony Towns. Another issue that has bugged fans and analysts is Brown’s resistance to altering the starting lineup when the team has struggled.
He gave up on a lineup with Towns and Mitchell Robinson in the front court in November and has never gone back to it. It is a decision that has perplexed some around the game.
Rival coach blasts ‘stubbornness’ of NY Knicks head coach Mike Brown
“It’s championship or bust mode for that team. I don’t know how Mike Brown has not at least given some other lineups a look with all the trouble they’ve had,” a rival assistant coach told Heavy’s Sean Deveney. “It’s a fine line between having the courage of your convictions and just being plain stubborn with it. They’ve had enough problems. It would not have hurt to be creative and see how it looks.”
It is not a great look for Brown that a potential fix for some of their struggles at times is pretty obvious, yet he has been unwilling to admit his mistakes and make changes.
If the Knicks don’t reach the NBA Finals, or at least the East Finals, heads are going to roll. Surely, they will attempt major changes to the roster. And team president Leon Rose could be removed. However, while it would be a bad look to fire a head coach for a second straight year, Brown continues to give reasons for management to throw him under the bus if the team disappoints this spring.
