Mike Brown's job with the Knicks could prove tougher than Jason Kidd's with the Mavericks
Knicks coach Mike Brown reacts during the second quarter against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 14. Credit: Jim McIsaac
DALLAS — When the Knicks embarked on a deep dive of a coaching search this past summer, the wide net always seemed to target one name at the top of the list: Jason Kidd.
As it was with the handful of other gainfully-employed coaches they sought a chance to interview, the Mavericks never relented and the two sides never got anywhere near an offer or anything more than vague overtures through back channels. But it always seemed odd that Kidd would even consider the possibility with a team that was already stocked with talent and awaiting the arrival of the can’t-miss No. 1 overall draft pick, Cooper Flagg.
But now, one month into the season it has become apparent why Kidd might have wanted to jump besides his brief run at Madison Square Garden at the end of his Hall of Fame playing career. Mark Cuban, who had hired him, is gone and in place the Mavericks front office has been embroiled in the sort of chaos that used to pervade Madison Square Garden before Leon Rose took over.
Nico Harrison traded away the franchise cornerstone, Luka Doncic, a floor general who Kidd was able to mold with the knowledge he gleaned over his long career. In return they received a talent in Anthony Davis, but one that is, as always, plagued by injuries. He was sidelined again as the Knicks arrive for a meeting Wednesday night.
Kyrie Irving is out, too, maybe for the season depending on who you listen to, and Harrison was finally fired last week after being on the hot seat, mostly with the fan base, since the trade of Doncic. And the Mavericks, a team that had championship aspirations, now sits at 4-11.
But Kidd does have a contract extension for a second straight summer thanks to the Knicks’ overtures, perhaps more power in the organization with Harrison’s departure and maybe still an eye on New York for the next time the job opens up.
Mike Brown eventually got the call in New York and has settled in nicely, although not without problems of his own. If you need any more evidence of what life is like in the always hot seat at Madison Square Garden just consider how Brown spoke of not chasing wins in one of his initial practice sessions in Abu Dhabi. Then after a few postgame executive meetings he has taken a different course.
Talking about his time as an assistant to Steve Kerr in Golden State Monday he said, “I learned a lot from players and coaches on my journey. And when I was with Steve, he looks like this all-American dude, kid with blonde hair and blue eyes and everybody thinks he’s nice and sweet and all that . . . He’s competitive.
“He used to preach to our guys, ‘Nah, we’re not holding the ball. Finish the game. If they don’t want to play defense, screw ‘em. We’re going to finish the game. We’re going to keep getting better.’ Really, I try to do that. I don’t know if I have what it takes to do that all the time. I feel bad. I feel like I’m competitive, maybe not as much as Steve.”
He’s guided the Knicks to an 8-5 start, but already has encountered questions and criticism. The Knicks fired a very successful coach in Tom Thibodeau amid rumors of his refusal to budge on his core principles. The new coach is supposed to be a collaborator with the front office. He is to give playing time to the young players on the back end of the roster, reduce the minutes load on the core rotation pieces and see the big picture more than focusing on doing anything possible to salvage the game in front of him.
That meant Jalen Brunson was on the floor with less than two minutes left and the Knicks down by 16 last week, suffering a sprained right ankle that has sidelined him for the last two games. And then social media was crowded with fans criticizing Brown's decision not to utilize Mitchell Robinson down the stretch of a game that got away in Miami Monday night. Robinson went to the bench with 9:23 to play and only entered for one second in the final minute after that, clocking just 18 minutes and 29 seconds on the floor while Brown insists that the minutes restrictions have been lifted.
While the current records may not reflect it, the task for Brown might be tougher than what Kidd faces. Kidd came out on the winning side of any power struggles in Dallas while Brown must compete against the ghosts of what came before him. Anything less than the 50 wins and a trip to the Eastern Conference finals — particularly in a season with much of the competition watered down by injuries — will be seen as a failure.
And for all the talk of collaboration, Brown arrived well aware of where the blame starts and ends. In his introductory news conference he said, “My whole thing is I want to form a partnership with [the front office] to do this together. It’s impossible to do on your own. And obviously the outcome is exciting for me because I’m sitting in the seat that I want to be in.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
