The Knicks held a press conference to introduce Mike Brown as their new head coach on Tuesday afternoon, and neither Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan nor Knicks President of Basketball Operations Leon Rose took media questions.
Dolan and Rose were probably not in the mood to answer questions about why Tom Thibodeau was fired as the Knicks’ coach or explain why Brown was the right coach to replace him. You would think it’s their obligation to answer questions, but … hey … we’re talking about the Knicks here.
Dolanized: No need to hear questions from the press when you don’t take questions from the press.
I, for one, would have loved to know why the Knicks decided to pivot from waiting for Jason Kidd and instead hire Brown. My understanding is that Dolan wanted Kidd, but for whatever reason, Rose either had a change of heart or panicked and went with Brown instead.
But from what I’m hearing, Knicks fans don’t seem to mind. Saying that makes it easier for me to declare that Knicks fans are part of the franchise’s problems. How so? They enable Dolan and Rose to get away with their self-serving behavior. That’s wrong because it’s not how a professional organization should operate.
Let me also say that I am okay with Thibodeau being fired. He overused his starters and didn’t develop young players, neither of which is conducive to winning championships, despite achieving a successful result this season.
The Knicks have had coaches with great basketball backgrounds, and they’ve all whiffed in Manhattan. It’s a long list, too, including Rick Pitino, Pat Riley, Don Nelson, Lenny Wilkens, Larry Brown, Mike D’Antoni, and Mike Woodson. Moreover, not even accomplished basketball executives, such as Donnie Walsh and Phil Jackson, could deliver a winning culture.
Courtesy Sports Illustrated
While Brown should do okay, okay isn’t good enough–not for a franchise that hasn’t won a championship since 1973. Fans won’t give Brown a honeymoon period, and Dolan isn’t shy about paying guys to go away. He paid Wilkens, Larry Brown, D’Antoni, Walsh, Jackson, and Thibodeau to do just that.
Besides, who says the Knicks have crossed Kidd off their list? I haven’t. If Brown can’t lead the Knicks to a title, I could see the Knicks taking another shot at the Mavericks’ head coach.
As for Brown, a twice-fired NBA head coach, the Knicks’ gig is just right —the best opportunity since the Cavs and Lakers to win a championship. Plus, you can’t sneeze at a four-year, $40 million deal. So if it doesn’t work out, Brown will leave NY a wealthy man, just like his predecessors.
No matter what happens, Brown will come out of it okay.
The Knicks, though? They announced a hire that made nary a ripple in the national press, and during a time of year when the press clamors for content, with MLB the only major storyline around.
That tells you something, and it’s not a good sign.
