Mike Brown may be coaching for his job during the playoffs, even though he is still in his first season as head coach of the New York Knicks.
Brown’s future remains the subject of speculation and he may need to reach the NBA Finals to keep his job, according to Sam Amick of The Athletic. There is speculation that even that might not be enough, and Brown has to win a title or risk being replaced.
That would be pretty harsh on Brown, who was brought in to replace Tom Thibodeau last year after the Knicks lost in the Eastern Conference Finals. The team went 53-29, a slight improvement on last year, but are locked in a tough first round playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks.
Whether Brown has actually made the Knicks better is a matter of debate. He has drawn criticism for some of his moves, and at the very least, the team does not look to be clearly better this season compared with last year.
Brown may have reason to sweat if this is true. After all, even he isn’t sure the Knicks have what it takes to win a championship.
