After 13 seasons as a head coach in the NBA, Mike Brown found a home with the New York Knicks this year, with many expectations.
In his tenure as a coach, he has been in the league for around 28 years, including his assistant coaching seasons.
Brown handled the Cleveland Cavaliers for six seasons, followed by the Los Angeles Lakers for two seasons, but was dismissed in his second year in the early season. The most recent is with the Sacramento Kings, where he earned his second Coach of the Year award.
Speaking of the Straight Game Podcast, one of the hosts, former NBA player Matt Barnes, claimed that he is not a leader of the team, as he has been his head coach during his Lakers stint.
Barnes added that Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest used to substitute themselves in the game.
“Mike Brown to the Knicks will it work?…F*ck no… Mike’s a great person, to me he’s not a leader of men…He was my coach with the Lakers..Kobe & Ron Artest used to walk all over that…Sacramento…lost respect of the team quickly…Too nice for his own good,” Barnes said on Straight Game Podcast.
The NBA champion also noted that Brown learned a lot from Steve Kerr in the Golden State Warriors when he served as an assistant coach for six seasons before he went to the Kings.
“I think he learned a lot in Golden State underneath Steve Kerr. I think Mike Brown is a great second chair, cause when you sit on that second chair, I tell you there is such a night and day difference sitting in the head coaching chair. I think Mike is a great assistant coach. I wish him the best. I’ve seen firsthand in Sacramento, his first year came in and brought the Golden State’s system, they made the playoffs for the first time,” Barnes added.
Barnes earned his title with the Warriors in 2017 under Kerr’s leadership as head coach while Brown was in the second chair.
Knicks’ head tactician had a win-loss record of 429-309 in the regular season, while 49-44 in the playoffs in a head coach role.
