The 2025-26 NBA season will be the beginning of a new era for the New York Knicks.
An era where they will be led by head coach Mike Brown, who was hired as a replacement for Tom Thibodeau.
Coach Brown already has plans in place to unlock the potential of New York Knicks players. Despite that, Brown’s hiring has received mixed reviews.
Some doubt Brown’s tactical genius, while others are impressed with his introductory press conference with the Knicks.
Last season, the Knicks reached the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, albeit they were handed a 4-2 series defeat by the Indiana Pacers.
Keeping that in mind, NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins believes reaching ECF in the 2026 playoffs is the minimum goal for coach Brown.
“He better do a better job than Tom Thibodeau, he better bring that team back to where they were last year, the Conference Finals.
“They fired Tom Thibodeau because they basically said we are thinking about championships,” Perkins said on The Road Trippin’ podcast.
The former NBA player added: “Do I think Mike Brown is an upgrade on Tom Thibodeau? I don’t. Do I think Mike Brown is a helluva coach? I do.”
It feels like coach Brown is fighting an uphill battle to earn praise from Perkins. While Big Perk may not think of Brown as an upgrade over Thibs, he cannot deny the former’s championship experience.
After all, Brown has won four NBA Championships during his coaching career prior to joining the Knicks.
Adding to his statement on coach Brown’s hiring, Perkins pointed out that the Eastern Conference is wide open next season.
“Mike Brown came in, and they upgraded the bench, bare minimum, Conference Finals. With the East being wide open,” Perkins continued.
But is there any team that could be a thorn in the Knicks’ path to potentially lifting the Larry O’Brien trophy? Yes.
“You don’t have to worry about the Pacers. The Cleveland Cavaliers, that’s the only team we can say top to bottom is better than the New York Knicks,” he concluded.
Considering the Cavaliers were the No. 1 seed in the conference last season, it’s no surprise that Perkins thinks of them as a potential threat to the Knicks’ championship hopes.
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