It isn’t often that three head coaches who were all named the NBA Coach of Year twice are fired within the same calendar year. Yet, that’s what happened when the Sacramento Kings dismissed Mike Brown in December 2024, the Phoenix Suns fired Mike Budenholzer in April 2025 and the New York Knicks parted ways with Tom Thibodeau in June 2025.
Interestingly, just a month after the Knicks gave Thibodeau the axe, they replaced him with Brown. But was it the right choice?
Is Mike Brown the Knicks’ Answer to Defensive Discipline?
A polarizing figure, Thibodeau was heralded for his defensive acumen but criticized for his rotation decisions. Like Thibodeau, Brown is considered a defensive-minded coach. He’s also tough on his players behind the scenes, though his brief stint with the Golden State Warriors taught him how to be more of a player’s coach, as ESPN’s J.A. Adande relayed.
Perhaps unexpectedly, Brown’s willingness to empower his players hasn’t made fans out of everyone.
“Mike is a great person. He’s just, to me, he’s not a leader of men,” Matt Barnes admits on the latest “Straight Game Podcast” episode.
“I couldn’t imagine it now because these kids are making so much money. You have to have the respect of them. I think Mike is such a nice guy, that’s what f**ks Mike up. Mike wants to be cool with everyone instead of putting his foot down like, ‘This is my team, this is what’s going on.'”
It’s worth noting that Barnes isn’t just speaking from the perspective of a 14-year NBA veteran. He’s played both against and for teams that Brown has coached. In fact, his experience with Brown in 2011-12 has done a lot to color his perception.
As Barnes relays, former NBA stars Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest “walked all over” Brown, subbing themselves in and out of games at will. Though Barnes himself didn’t try that, “I’m crazy, I’m not stupid,” he says, it obviously has left a lasting impression.
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Barnes’s characterization of Brown does fit the common description of his personality, which is that of an affable, “everyman”. Yet, it doesn’t correlate with the rumors that were swirling around the time Sacramento gave him the shaft. At that time, Brown’s tough love approach with De’Aaron Fox was considered the impetus behind the move.
However, Fox adamantly denies those allegations, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. More than that, he said he didn’t want to play for any other coach while with the Kings.
Where that leaves the Knicks remains to be seen. With a revamped bench and reworked offense, there appears to be a genuine belief that New York will be even better than last season. Even so, if Barnes’s comments are any indication, there are definitely those that have their doubts.
