THE New York Knicks have made a final decision on their next head coach after the stunning decision to fire Tom Thibodeau last month.
The Knicks have finally hired their new head coach after a month-long search.
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The Knicks have high expectations for the 2025 season after an Eastern Conference Finals exit.
They chose to fire Thibodeau as they seemed to take issue with the 67-year-old’s player development, rotations, and relationships with the coaching staff and front office.
So on Wednesday, the Knicks reportedly hired two-time NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown as the team’s next head coach, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Brown was reportedly the leading candidate for the job for the past week.
But before last week, the Knicks had requested to interview five head coaches and were denied by all of them.
They then interview several available coaches before choosing Brown.
The 55-year-old is a four-time champion as a lead assistant with the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs.
He worked under Steve Kerr and Gregg Popovich and coached numerous all-time great players, including Tim Duncan, Steph Curry, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, and Kevin Durant.
And Brown also has plenty of NBA head coaching experience.
He has a combined record of 454-304 as a head coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and Sacramento Kings.
His most recent stop with the Kings saw him lead the team to their first playoffs in 16 seasons.
Sacramento also had the top-rated offense in the NBA during that campaign.
But like his previous stints with the Cavs and Lakers, Brown flamed out, and he was fired by the Kings in December after a 13-18 start.
Brown received his first NBA Coach of the Year award in 2009 with Cleveland and again in 2023 with the Kings.
He will have the tough task of bringing a title to the Knicks for the first time in over 50 years.
New York enters next season with serious Finals aspirations as Boston Celtics‘ Jayson Tatum and Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton recover from serious Achilles injuries.
The Knicks and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the co-favorites to win the East.
Brown’s mission will be to maximize the team’s roster, especially star Karl-Anthony Towns.
And he’ll try to accomplish more than Thibodeau, whose teams reached the playoffs four times in his five seasons at the helm.
