Former Mike Brown Player Rips Knicks' Chances

Tenured NBA veteran Matt Barnes doesn't like Mike — or at least his chances to lead the New York Knicks to anything significant.

Barnes tore into Mike Brown's coaching career during a recent showing on the "Straight Game Podcast," claiming that the new boss isn't destined for long-term success in Manhattan. Barnes was quick to label Brown a "great person," but doesn't have much faith in his ability to lead a team to a championship in the long-term.

"Mike is a great person. To me, he's just not a leader of men," Barnes said. "You have to have the respect of them. I think Mike is such a nice guy. That's what f****s Mike up. Mike wants to be cool with everyone instead of putting his foot down like 'this is my team, this is what's going on."

Barnes, a very brief Knick for six games in 2005, had the Brown experience in 2012, when the two shared time with the Los Angeles Lakers. He recalled that Laker franchise faces Kobe Bryant and Metta Sandiford-Artest (then-known as Ron Artest) "walked all over that motherf***er" during the fleeting Brown era, which came shortly after the prosperity of Phil Jackson's watch.

"They used to sub themselves in and out of games, I'm just like 'oh s***,'" Barnes recalled. "I think [Brown] learned a lot in Golden State underneath Steve Kerr. I think Mike Brown is a great second chair, because when you sit in that first chair ... there's such a night and day difference sitting in the head coaching chair. I think Mike is a great assistant coach."

The Lakers went 41-25 during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season under Brown before falling in five to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference's second round. With Dwight Howard and Steve Nash added to the fold with Bryant, Artest, and Pau Gasol in the following year (and Barnes having moved onto the Los Angeles Clippers), Brown was ousted in one of the quickest in-season firings in NBA history when the Lakers dropped four of five at the start.

Dec 29, 2011; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Matt Barnes (9) dribbles the ball against the New York Knicks at the Staples Center. The Lakers defeated the Knicks 99-82. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee/Image of Sport-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Since then, Brown has found a quantum of redemption with the Golden State Warriors, where he was in the associate head coach's spot under Kerr. Barnes earned a championship ring under Brown's partial watch as a member of the 2016-17 Warriors, who posted a perfect 12-0 postseason record when the former took over for an ailing Kerr.

That, however, isn't enough to convince Barnes that similar success will follow Brown to Manhattan, noting that the bottom fell out for him in Sacramento after he helped end the Kings' historically lengthy postseason drought after his first year at the helm in 2022-23.

"He lost the respect of the team quickly," Barnes claimed. "Now you're going to a New York media market that's trying to eat you up, every mistake. Mike is a good guy, I just don't think the situation is going to work because he's too nice for his own good."

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!