Stephen A. Smith REACTS to Knicks hiring Mike Brown 🗣️ ‘It LACKS sizzle but NOT credential’ 👀 | SC

Stephen A. Smith REACTS to Knicks hiring Mike Brown 🗣️ ‘It LACKS sizzle but NOT credential’ 👀 | SC

here. Let’s get back to our breaking news in the NBA. Sean Shirani reporting that Mike Brown will be the next head coach of the Knicks. He replaces Tom Divido who was fired after taking New York to the conference finals. The Knicks request to talk to Jason Kit, Eay Udoka, and others were turned down and then Brown emerged as the top candidate. Our NBA reporter Brian Winhorse is with us right now. And Wendy, what more can you tell us about how the Knicks came to this decision with Mike Brown? Well, it was quite a process. I don’t know if you heard Amina, but they took their time. Um but he was he sort of emerged from their process. He had multiple visits to New York. He uh met with their entire front office then came back and met with uh owner James Dolan before this decision was reached. And here’s what you have to understand about Mike Brown. He has one of the most varied resumes of anybody in the profession. He has coached under Greg Papovich. He has coached under Rick Carile. He has coached under Steve Kerr. He was the head coach for LeBron James. He was the head coach for Kobe Bryant. There have been times in his career where he’s coached the number one defense in the league. When he won coach of the year for the second time two years ago with the Kings, he coached the number one offense in the league. So, he has a very long career. He has seen many different things. He’s had many different challenges. He’s had many successes and he’s had a few failures. He’s been fired a number of times, but he is going to be taking over a team that is very accomplished. This is a strong uh job. This is a great job really. I know that the way they ended it with Tom Tibido made it seem like it was a bit of a a hairy situation, but it was a this is a great job. It is a builtout team that are among the favorites in the East.
And look, you laid it out right there. The accolades are there. Ramona Shelurn, we talked to her a little bit earlier in the show and he talked about the difference between Mike Brown and Tom Tibido. How do you see Mike Brown fitting in in New York? Well, Tom Tibido is a guy who’s very rigid with the way he operates um his his team. He also really is sort of a lone wolf on the sideline. His assistants offer support outside the game. During the game, Tims is a lone wolf. He’s sort of operating on his own. Mike Brown is a lot more collaborative. He’s collaborative with the players. He’s collaborative with his assistant coaches. He will completely be different. You you wouldn’t even see Tom Tibido even meet with his assistant coaches. Uh when there would be a timeout, he would grab the clipboard and go right in there, wait five seconds. Mike Brown will a lot of times allow his assistants to run huddles because he’s very collaborative. When he was in Cleveland, he formed a players committee where he allowed this the team’s leaders to to make major decisions on on on things with the team. So, he is I wouldn’t say he’s a necessarily just a players coach, but he’s definitely going to be more collaborative with the players and their feelings than Tom Tibido was. I see people saying that they’re alike, knowing both of them. They both care about defense, but after after that, I think they’re very different people.
And look, we all know it. The Knicks, their minds are set on a championship. Now, Mike Brown has not won an NBA championship as an head coach. However, what says that he’s the guy to get them there? Well, I think he his big challenge is the Knicks have several um guys on their roster who have defensive challenges. And so the challenge for Tom Tibet or whoever takes over this team is to have a system that protects the players weaknesses. And so Mike Brown, that’s his big thing. And I’m sure his ideas and his thoughts on how to make that work were part were a heavy part of the interview process because the Knicks are heavily involved and heavily invested in Carl Anthony Towns and Jaylen Brunson. Those were the players that the Pacers attacked on defense. So, how he would go about that, his ideas for what maybe it needs to do with the roster and those things were how he got through this interview process.
Yeah, still a lot to dig into with this Mike Brown hire. Wendy, thanks so much. Back here on Sports Center, we got Stephen A. Smith to weigh in on this news. The Knicks hire Mike Brown as their new head coach. Stephen A. Smith joining us now on the phone. And Stephen A, we know you’re a huge Knicks fan. Your reaction to this hire? Well, I respect the hell out of Mike Brown. Um, I will honestly tell you it lacks sizzle, but certainly not credentials. I mean, he’s a four-time champion as an assistant coach. He achieved those rings by working under two of the greatest coaches the game has ever seen in Greg Papovic and Steve Kerr. On top of that, he’s a two-time coach of the year, uh, 2009 in Cleveland and obviously a couple of years back in Sacramento. Um, he’s coached the team to an NBA finals, which is what he did with the Cleveland Cavaliers. And then when you combine all of that with the fact that he’s won 60% of his games and he guided the Sacramento Kings to their first playoff birth in 16 years after a 16-year absence, which was an NBA record at the time. You can’t sit up there and question what uh the credentials of this hire. Mike Brown is qualified as a head coach in the NBA circles. Uh he deserves this opportunity. It’s just that obviously when you just came within two games of an NBA finals and you decide to let go of your coach that is Tom Thibido, you’re expecting a bigger name. But there’s nobody this way, meaning me, that’s going to question the credentials of Mike Brown and the fact that he’s worthy and deserving of this opportunity.
And you laid it all out right there, the credentials, the pedigree. With all the injuries and uncertainty in the East next year, what are your expectations for this New York Knicks team? Well, I expect them to be right back where we last saw them, which was in the Eastern Conference Finals, because the Boston Celtics don’t have Jason Tatum. The Milwaukee Bucks don’t have Damen Lillard to pair with uh Giannis the Kmpo, even though Orlando just picked up Desmond Bane. You still expect the Knicks to be right there with them. The Cleveland Cavaliers had an exceptional season. Can’t get much better than the season they had during the regular season. And yet, we saw how they bowed out in the postseason. And so when you take all of those things into consideration and you’re looking at the fact that the New York Knicks top seven players remain on their roster, you’re talking about Jaylen Brunson, Carl Anthony Towns, Muel Bridges, OG Noi, Mitchell Robinson, uh Michael McBride, obviously Josh Hart, the Energizer Bunny himself. They haven’t gone anywhere. So why should we expect less from the New York Knicks? We should expect at least the same.
And there’s been a lot of talk about the similarities and differences between Mike Brown and Tom Tibido. How do you think Mike Brown’s coaching style fits with this Knicks roster?
Well, I definitely think that he’s a bit calmer and less intense than Tom Tibido. And by the way, he also has better credentials. Even though Tom Thibido was in a chair as a champion as assistant coach, well, Mike Brown’s a four-time champion. Uh, but Tom Tibido never took a team to the finals as a head coach. Mike Brown did, although he had LeBron James at his disposal instead of Jaylen Brunson. So, we get the fact that they’re comparable coaches. Uh, and Mike Brown from a personality standpoint, I personally love Tibs. Um, I think that he’s an approachable person, an exceptional coach, etc., etc., but clearly very intense as we see him on the sidelines where Mike Brown may come across as a bit more relaxed, uh, not a bit not as panicky as Tom Thibido in terms of having a winning record, winning basketball games, and still feeling compelled to have your starters out there late in games because Lord, Lord help us. you might be able to come back from a 20-point lead with 60 seconds left. That’s the kind of stuff that Tom Thibido uh is is known. I’m I’m being facitious to some degree, but that’s just to explain his intensity. Mike Brown is a little less intense as a personality, but very much intense as a coach. Uh certainly intense enough to be committed to getting the job done. And obviously his record, his credentials as a head coach in this league are not to be questioned. A Kobe Bryant may have had questions when he was alive. God rest his soul from time to time. LeBron James may have had questions when Mike Brown was coaching them relatively young in his career before he arrived in Golden State and helped Steve Cerr and the Golden State Warriors capture three championships or at least before with LeBron James instead of Kobe. In the end, he’s proven himself as a head coach in this game and the New York Knicks, we can’t look at them and say they don’t have a quality head coach. That would be a misnomer. That would be a flatout lie. That is not the case for Mike Brown. The man can coach and he’s proven it and he deserves this opportunity.
And look, we saw it last season. the Knicks getting to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years. What needs to be different this upcoming season in order for them to get over the hump with Mike Brown?
Well, I think they need to exercise their depth. That’s why I’m glad to see them about to sign Jordan Clarkson um and this guy Gons. It’s really good to get to see them have two additional guys that you can come off the bench and throw out there because the starters were worn down. And that’s one of the things I I said it many times, I’ll say it again. The greatest line of the NBA season came from TNT’s very own Kenny the Jet Smith when he said Tom Divido would have problems playing would have a problem playing nine guys in a baseball game.
That’s what he said. And we all know you need nine guys on the field in baseball. Tom Divido would have a problem with that. That’s not Mike Brown. Mike Brown is going to use his depth if the opportunity is presented to him to do so. He’s not going to have to be pushed into doing that. He’s the kind of individual that he recognizes the importance of depth and that’s something that he’ll utilize particularly during the regular season going into the playoffs and stuff like that. So I think that’s a difference in their personalities. But in the end the Knicks have to exercise that depth and they have to have an additional big that you can put at the five. So you’re not asking Carl Anthony Towns to do that. He’s a shooter. He’s a big who shoots the basketball from the perimeter, preferably from three-point range. That’s what you want from Carl Anthony Towns. That’s what you need from Carl Anthony Towns. He need to make sure that you got another big so he doesn’t have to play the five.
Stephen A weighing in on this huge Knicks hire. Stephen A, thanks so much for the insight. The Knicks hope Mike Brown will have some of the same first season success he had in Sacramento when he led the Kings to an 18- win turnaround in his first season there. He had an eight or more win improvement from the previous year’s record in his first season in three of his four head coaching stops. Our NBA front office insider Bobby Marks joins us right now. And by before this hire, the Knicks, they already made some moves in free agency. However, now with Mike Brown in the reigns as a head coach, do you anticipate Mike Brown, you know, maybe changing the way this Knicks team approaches free agency from this point forward?
I I don’t think so. I I think it’s a unique situation where you have a a new head coach is walking into a win now roster that has already added two free agents in in Jordan Clarkson and and Gershon Yavelli. And let’s face it, New York, based on what’s happened with the other teams, Boston, certainly Milwaukee, Indiana, uh them and Cleveland are the favorites in the Eastern Conference just with those two minor moves here. And it is a unique situation and they’ll rely on his experience in Golden State and certainly that one year in Sacramento when they reached the uh the first round of the playoffs.
And we talked about uh you know, Mike Brown being a four-time NBA champion as an assistant. Bobby, what about Mike Brown’s NBA coaching history makes you believe he can succeed with this Knicks team? Well, I think we go back to that that first year in Sacramento, what he was able to do when he won co he was he’s only removed from winning coach of the year about three years ago, and that’s an offense that ranked number one in offensive efficiency with with Sacramento, and he’s inheriting a Nick team that’s top five in offensive efficiency. And and certainly, we saw that the struggles a little bit in in the playoffs. And I think if you’re Leon Roser, president of basketball operations, you’re leaning on Mike Brown to give a little bit of a different voice as far as how you can go about doing that.
Look, I want to throw this at you. We talked about the expectations for this Knicks team. Obviously went to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. An NBA championship is on their mind. I mean, with a new head coach, how much more movement on this roster needs to be made in order for them to get over the hump?
Yeah, there’s there’s a the one side that you’re relying on continuity. Um, you know, that’s usually a plus when you look at the starting five returns. You also have Mitchell Robinson and and Deuce McBride. As I said, you you bring back those two players. I do think continuity matters here. They’ve they’ve made some major uh changes with Carl Anthony Towns and Male Bridges. I think you walk into a situation and I think a year from now, this team hasn’t gotten to a conference finals, then you can evaluate it here. Um, but I don’t think you can make overhaul changes just because a coach is walking into an already made situation.
Look, the Knicks with plenty of moves made on this Wednesday afternoon. Bobby, thanks so much.

On SportsCenter, Brian Windhorst, Stephen A. Smith and Bobby Marks join SportsCenter to discuss the New York Knicks hiring Mike Brown after firing their former head coach, Tom Thibodeau.

0:00 The Knicks hire Mike Brown as head coach
0:45 Windy shares details on the hire
1:47 How will Mike Brown fit in New York?
4:00 Stephen A. Smith reacts to the hire
5:05 Where does Stephen A. expect the Knicks to go this season?
8:17 How is Mike Brown different from Tom Thibodeau?
10:06 How should the Knicks approach free agency?

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