Does Steve Kerr think Mike Brown can lead Knicks to NBA championship?

Long before Mike Brown guided the New York Knicks to the Eastern Conference Finals in his first season as the club's head coach, he was Steve Kerr's lead assistant with the Golden State Warriors from the summer of 2016 through the 2022 NBA Finals. Thus, Kerr is quite familiar with Brown's abilities to serve as a leader. 

During a recent chat with Barbara Barker of Newsday, Kerr spoke about whether or not Brown is the right coach to help the Knicks claim their first NBA title since 1973. 

Steve Kerr: Mike Brown has Knicks playing like a true contender

"They’re already in the conference finals," Kerr said about the Knicks. "They are really, really d--- good. I think they will be a heavy favorite in the conference finals. Regardless, they are one of the very best teams in the league. I think Mike recognized that when he got there. He knew the great work [former Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau] had done, and he knew the foundation was there and he wanted to take it and see if he could build on that. It seems like he has."

The Knicks parting ways with Thibodeau after he took the team to the Eastern Conference Finals last year was a controversial decision, but few New York fans are upset about it this spring. As Ian Begley of SNY noted, a Knicks team that has won seven straight playoff games will enter the upcoming conference finals as prohibitive favorites to defeat either the Cleveland Cavaliers or the Detroit Pistons. Cleveland and Detroit began Wednesday tied at 2-2 in their second-round series. 

This Mike Brown trait could help Knicks deal with high expectations

Knicks fans, some of whom are preparing Eastern Conference and NBA Finals invasions of opposing cities, are no longer just dreaming of the franchise ending its championship drought. Kerr is confident that Brown is "the perfect guy" to handle the expectations hovering over a team that will now be viewed as somewhat of a failure if it doesn't at least qualify for the final series of the playoffs.

"...Mike is exactly the right guy," Kerr added. "When people are freaking out, Mike is the guy you want to steady the ship. He did that all year. Now, they are playing their best basketball. They are confident, fast, loose and aggressive. It’s beautiful to watch."