ESPN experts react to Mike Brown’s opening New York Knicks press conference, give verdict on hire

Brian Windhorst and Monica McNutt give flowers to Brown

Brown comes into the role as a two-time coach of the year with a stellar record in the playoffs.

While he has not led his side to a championship, Brown has NBA Finals experience from his time with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

He has been a part of multiple championship teams, including the Golden State Warriors side in 2022, where he was an assistant coach.

Speaking on what she felt after listening to his introductory press conference, McNutt said: “He said all the right things for sure, I buy them as sincere.

“When you look at this team, these guys have great personalities, they had great success this past season, there’s not a ton of tweaking that needs to be done.

“When I look at Mike Brown’s resume, what stands out to me are the two Coach of the Year Awards separated by decades, it says to me he’s been able to adapt to this generation of coaches and style of the NBA game over time.”

Brian Windhorst also chimed in with his thoughts on Brown.

He said: “He’s not going to like me saying this but he’s now been coaching in the NBA in four different decades.

“What the Knicks are doing here is hiring a coach with a big array of experience, they have the things in place, they need the ability to have options, to play different ways when they get to the playoffs.”

Brown’s coaching style will work with the Knicks

Brown was most recently the coach of the Sacramento Kings. He ended their 16-year playoff drought in 2023 and helped them become the number one offense in the league.

But that does not mean he is not a defensive coach. In his time with the Warriors, Brown stepped up to be the head coach for a few games in Steve Kerr’s absence during the 2017 NBA Playoffs.

This happened in the playoffs and the team went 12-0 with him leading them from the sidelines.

Warriors dominated their opponents in these games and eventually went on to win the championship.

He is said to be detail-oriented and a coach who loves to play fast, which are things the Knicks can do as they have Jalen Brunson and Jordan Clarkson as their point guards.

Kendrick Perkins also opined that he believes the two-time coach of the year could help improve Karl-Anthony Towns and Brunson’s work on the defensive end of the floor.

Thibodeau certainly left a great impression in New York, while his shoes are going to be tough to fill, Brown is an experienced man and he will be confident in his abilities to do a good job with the Knicks.