Anything short of a championship is underperformance. Despite leading the team to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 seasons, it’s the reason Tom Thibodeau was fired last season. It’s not outlandish to think Mike Brown could face the same fate if the Knicks fall short.
First-year Knicks head coach Mike Brown has done a terrific job. He broke Pat Riley’s record for most wins in his first season with the team, and has the 53-29 Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Players respect him, and he has done what Leon Rose, the Knicks’ President of Basketball Operations, wanted: play everyone on the roster (translated: don’t overplay the starters). There’s more, too. When the team experienced turbulence, Brown provided steady leadership, never straying from the script.
But is that enough for this franchise? Not really. The invariable quest is to secure the Knicks their first championship since 1973.
Odds are in their favor to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers in the conference finals, which start tonight (Knicks -7.5, Game 1). Why not? NYK has five excellent players, while the Cavaliers have one, Donovan Mitchell. Just one? I don’t include James Harden because he has a history of playoff disappointments.
Add it all up, and it says this season should be the Knicks’ year. There’s no guarantee beyond that. For starters, in the East, the Pacers get Tyrese Halliburton back. In the West, both the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder boast championship-laden rosters built to last for a decade or more. That’s why it’s easy to understand there’s a sense of urgency this year.
Photo courtesy NY Daily News Facebook
Photo courtesy NY Daily News Facebook
Team owner James Dolan isn’t afraid to pay head coaches and executives to go away. We saw that with the Knicks when he paid executives Phil Jackson and Donnie Walsh to get lost, and we have seen successful coaches come and go, such as the late Lenny Wilkens, Larry Brown, and Mike D’Antoni
Brown knows all of that, but it was trumped by what he’s experiencing in real-time this year: the Knicks are his best opportunity to secure that elusive championship. He also knows that if he gets fired, it won’t define his career. With his value high, Brown will move on and coach another team. For Dolan, Billy Donovan is available, and the Long Island native would be a good fit for his team.
Bottom line? I’ll bet that it’s a win-now-or-move-on situation.
