Mike Brown Could Be One-and-Done with Knicks

Before the New York Knicks landed on Mike Brown over the summer, Leon Rose got as many rejections as the drunk guy at the bar when seemingly asking every other team to interview their head coach.

There were flirtations with Jason Kidd, Chris Finch, Ime Udoka, Quinn Snyder, Billy Donovan and Quin Snyder. Even Jay Wright got a phone call.

So it's fair to argue that Rose fired Tom Thibodeau without a plan. Two things can be true, however. There’s no denying that Thibs was a good coach, just perhaps not the right man for this group. There's also no denying that Brown has been very uninspiring as his replacement through a topsy-turvy 59 games.

This isn't an overreaction to the no-show loss in Cleveland the other night. After all, the Cavs beat the Knicks in all three meetings last season by a combined score of 62 points. But during the five-year Thibodeau era, his squads rarely mailed it in and we've seen that a few times this season.

Brown And His Group Have Been Unspiring At Times

Brown wasn't handed a ragtag bunch. There is plenty of talent in that room. The group he inherited was two wins away from the NBA Finals. His rotations haven’t been great. He was supposed to maximize Karl-Anthony Towns and that has not been the case. There is still some confusion about his system and if the players don't understand the inner workings by now, when will they?

The minutes for the starters this year compared to last are down across the board. The bench scoring is up ten points. The young guys are getting more of an opportunity. Brown said he would sacrifice some regular season wins to experiment during the regular season, as opposed to Thibodeau's game-by-game desperation. So there is all that.

In many ways, Brown is the "Anti-Thibs." He's an affable guy, always smiling and is very media-friendly. There's a good chance that he's exactly who many thought Brown was, both for good and bad. A good coach, but a rethread.

Brown is always smile — Sep 23, 2025; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown speaks to the media during a media day press conference at the Madison Square Garden training center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The two-time Coach of the Year was groomed by Gregg Popovich in the early 2000's. Brown was an associate head coach under Rick Carlisle with Indiana during the Malice in the Palace days. He coached a young LeBron James in Cleveland for five years. He then filled Phil Jackson's shoes in Los Angeles and coached Kobe Bryant. He sat beside Steve Kerr during the Warriors' dynastic days.

Thibodeau forever has a special place in fans' hearts forever for dragging the franchise out of mostly two decades of irrelevance. Brown can only earn the hearts of New Yorkers with a run to the Finals. Anything shorter could earn him a pink slip. Sometimes a coach's personality and play style are just a bad fit.

We’ve seen this before in New York. After Chuck Daly declined the Knicks' advances, Hall of Famer Don Nelson replaced Pat Riley and lasted only 59 games. He tried employ his fast-paced offensive system, held a grudge with Patrick Ewing and tried doing a full makeover of the team’s identity.

There Is Precedent For A Quick Hook

The NFL is notorious for one-and-done head coaches. Pete Carroll was let go by Las Vegas after one crack at it. Jerod Mayo got axed in New England last year. Antonio Pierce and Urban Meyer are other recent examples. The NBA saw Frank Vogel last a season with the Suns. Two years ago, the Milwaukee Bucks canned Adrian Griffin despite a 30-13 record after just 43 games.

The Knicks shouldn't want to be a revolving coaching door team like they were for so many years. The issues at hand lie more at the feet of the players, but somebody is going to have to walk the plank this summer and Brown’s faith will ultimately come down to how this team fares in the postseason.

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