Former head coach Tom Thibodeau set a high bar by taking the New York Knicks to the Eastern Conference Championship before losing to the Indiana Pacers and being unceremoniously fired by owner James Dolan shortly thereafter. Mike Brown has been to an NBA Finals as a head coach, even if he didn’t win, so at least the Knicks now have a guy with bona fides to replace Thibs.
Doug Gottlieb: “The problem is not in selecting Mike Brown, the problem is very likely in the execution, or lack thereof, of a plan…but he passes that bar of; you can’t fire a guy who took you to the conference finals unless you hire somebody who’s gone beyond the conference finals.”