Entering his first season as head coach of the New York Knicks, Mike Brown holds high expectations for the upcoming season. Even after making the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time in 25 years, the Knicks chose to bring in Brown as a replacement for Tom Thibodeau, a coach with a vastly different coaching style and system.
With questions surrounding New York on how they will use Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and how the rest of the offense will look as a whole, one notable former NBA player doesn’t believe Brown is the best coach to led the Knicks.
Speaking on the ‘Straight Game Podcast‘ NBA champion with the Golden State Warriors, Matt Barnes, said he doesn’t expect Brown to have success in New York.
“Mike is a great person. To me, he’s just not a leader of men,” Barnes said. “You have to have the respect of them. I think Mike is such a nice guy. That’s what (explitive) 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.”
Barnes played for Brown on multiple occasions. First for part of the 2011-12 season on the Los Angeles Lakers, followed by a stint together in Golden State, as Barnes finished out his career and Brown was a top assistant.
Barnes Makes His Anti-Mike Brown Case Clear
The firing of Thibodeau itself was surprising for both Knicks fans and fans around the NBA. Hiring Brown as his replacement was shocking, considering his accolades and recent firing from the Sacramento Kings, but questions are following the two-time Coach of the Year as to how he will lead the superstar-heavy New York team.
Barnes, after a 14-year NBA veteran, has a bleak prediction for how things will go in Manhattan this season. Speaking on his experience playing under Brown on the Lakers, Barnes said the coach got ‘walked all over’ by Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest.
“They used to sub themselves in and out of games,” Barnes added. “I think Mike Brown is a great second chair, because when you sit in that first chair … There’s such a night and day difference sitting in the head coaching chair. I think Mike is a great assistant coach.”
Brown has spent 13 years of his NBA coaching career as an assistant, winning with the San Antonio Spurs in 2003 under Gregg Popovich, and three times in Golden State; 2017, 2018, and 2022, under Steve Kerr. As a head coach, Brown has a career record of 454-304, with seven postseason appearances, including one Finals appearance.
Barnes didn’t hold his tongue when talking about Brown, and doesn’t believe he has what it takes to take control of the ship and bring an elusive title to The Big Apple.
“He lost the respect of the team quickly,” Barnes said. “Now you’re going to a New York media market that’s trying to eat you up, every mistake. Mike is a good guy, I just don’t think the situation is going to work because he’s too nice for his own good.”
Brown Questioning Himself
Before Barnes’ comments surfaced, Brown himself expressed nerves heading into the 2025-26 NBA season.
The biggest question as Brown enters the Knicks facility is how he will implement a fast-paced offense.
Under Thibodeau, New York ranked near the bottom of the league in pace and average time to take a shot. Brunson and his usage rate played a large role in that, and Brown expects to have the star spread the offense around more, rather than just relying on him to find a shot on his own.
New York finished the preseason 4-1, but were ranked 31st in pace, behind team’s playing in exhibition games that aren’t even in the NBA. Though preseason, Brown has yet to fix the Knicks’ tempo, something he is worried about, but he blames himself for that shortcoming.
“The guys that have been out, they’re the key pieces to what we’re trying to do,” Brown said after New York’s final preseason game, acccording to Jared Schwartz of the New York Post. “They haven’t gotten the reps and for us to jell together from top to bottom is going to take a little more time than I thought.”
New York was struggling with injuries during their preseason campaign, including Josh Hart and OG Anunoby, but just days away from the season tip-off, Brown still doesn’t feel comfortable with his team.
The Knicks expect to be top contenders in the East, but if the struggles with pace continue, as well as nagging injuries for Brunson, Towns, Anunoby, Hart, and Mitchell Robinson, Barnes’ prediction could come true.
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