New Knicks Coach Crushed Clinching Interview

The New York Knicks didn't reveal much specific direction to the public during the month they spent trying to fill Tom Thibodeau's post as the head coach, but the general checkboxes they were looking to fill were eventually ascertained and understood considering the position they were coming from.

In attempting to break away from Thibodeau with his strict principles and old school ways of communicating with his players and team management, New York's front office was looking for someone who better suited the Jalen Brunson-Karl-Anthony Towns iteration of the team.

They conducted a few interviews before offering the gig to Mike Brown, a veteran head coach with a resume loaded with experience guiding star-led operations into winning situations. He most recently spent two and a half partial seasons leading the Sacramento Kings, and one prominent voice from that organization advocated heavily for Brown's pressing all the right buttons in quickly landing back on his feet.

Mark Jones, a play-by-play announcer who splits time between nationally televised broadcasts and the local Sacramento feed, confirmed through his Bluesky account that Brown nailed his second interview mere hours after the Knicks were announced to have closed in on their next coach.

"Brown crushed his 2nd interview which included Dolan," he posted. "I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a coach more detailed"

Brown's invitation for a second interview was only made known yesterday, as he'd previously spoken with New York executives in June. Knicks majority owner James Dolan played a key role in the exit interviews that eventually led to Thibodeau's dismissal, and evidently wanted to remain present for the hiring of his next head coach after his disapproval of Thibodeau grew with the years.

The Knicks made it clear that they wanted someone ready to interact with the roster and the front office in a way that better suited their desire for communicative leaders who could build on the foundation Thibodeau set. Despite several key Knicks locker room voices advocating for the previous coach's game-planning, the front office seems to have prioritized someone who better fits their altered criteria.