July 2, 2025 • 8 mins
Reacting to the hiring of former Cavs, Lakers, and Kings Head Coach Mike Brown as the 32nd Head Coach of the New York Knicks, as well as the Jordan Clarkson signing and some rumors circulating around who the team may target next.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Pag's Perspective with your host Ryan Pagano.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Alright, so it only took about a month, but finally, finally,
the New York Dicks have a head coach. Only took
until the third day of free agency to make that happen,
but they finally have a bench boss for twenty five,
twenty six and beyond, and it's Mike Brown. I'll be honest,
(00:27):
I feel like this is a downgrade, and I hope
I'm proven wrong on that, but right off the bat,
this feels like a downgrade. Now, Granted, whoever was gonna
replace Tom Thibodeau when he got let go following the
knicks deepest playoff run in twenty five years. Whoever the
(00:48):
next head coach was gonna be, whether it's gonna be
Johnny Bryant, Jason Kidd. Hell, even if Mike Malone was
the next head coach of the Knicks, whoever they brought,
it was gonna be viewed as a downgrade by the
fans and the New.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
York sports media no matter what, that's all bound to happen.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
But Mike Brown, he just feels like the seventh or
eighth best option out there in my opinion. I mean, yes,
he's a very experienced head coach, there's no denying that. Yes,
he made it farther in the playoffs than Tom Thibodeau
ever will as an NBA head coach.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
But you think of that, and then.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
You also think about how his previous stops had ended.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yes, he carried.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Lebron and whatever the hell made up the six oh
seven Cleveland Cavaliers to the finals, their first ever finals
appearance at that.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
And then he wore out a welcome with them.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Same thing with Kobe Gasol and two extend Nash and
Dwight Howard in Lakerland. I remember him wearing out his
welcome with those stars over there. And just most recently, Yes,
he turned the Sacramento Kings from the shit show of
the Western Conference into a playoff team and then just
(02:18):
as fast pissed off the Aaron Fox enough to the
point where he wanted nothing to do with the Kings
anymore and pretty much forced him and his coach's way
out of town. Like the fall for the Kings, going
from a very surprising three seed in the West to
getting canned before last season's All Star break.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
In a span of two years that has to be studied.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
And the same logic kind of applies to Mike Malone,
at least when it came to discussing the rumors that
he could potentially be the next head coach of the Knicks.
Are we gonna pretend that he wasn't fired or let
go for no reason? Like the fact that Malone was
(03:06):
the latest NBA head coach firing in a season ever,
and I'm talking like a week before the playoffs started,
that really should be speaking volumes. The fact that Mike
Brown was let go from the Sacramento Kings after not
just taking his team to the third seed in the West,
but also six months before his firing, receiving a twenty
(03:30):
six million dollar extension, and then being let go just
six months into said extension, that really should speak volumes.
Although there have been reports that have come out in
light of the Mike Brown firing in Sacramento that nobody
wanted to fire Mike, so I could see the argument
(03:54):
there at the same time that he can be a
pretty likable guy, a pretty likable coach.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
It's why he keeps getting jobs in the NBA, after all,
So that shouldn't go unspoken.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
And now he gets a big test with a Knicks
team that seems like the favorites in the Eastern Conference
this season, with the Pacers really not being able to
run it back with the Halliburton injury in Game seven
of the Finals him being out all of twenty five
twenty six, And it also certainly doesn't help that Miles
(04:32):
Turner left for the Milwaukee Bucks, but then also the
Celtics Corps just blowing up predictably because let's be real,
twenty four to twenty five was gonna be the last
run with that Corps before the Cap would inevitably force
their breakup. Also doesn't help that Tatum is likely to
(04:54):
miss most of next season with his achilles injury, and
with the Cavs gaining more experience in otherwise weak Eastern
Conference at the top, that kind of leaves the door
wide open for the Knicks to make a potential run.
It really came down to who was gonna be the
(05:16):
next bench boss. But this is gonna take a little
bit of time for the hire to grow on me.
I think he could be a good head coach in
New York, but it just needs time for me. I
feel like he was the seventh or eighth best higher
that they could have gotten. That said, I do have
(05:38):
to give him the benefit of the doubt because I
do feel like he would be less stubborn in his
ways than Thibodeau was when it matters.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
I do feel he'd be way more open to.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Adjustments anything that Tibadeau did not adjust to when the
time mattered in the playoffs. I'm a little bit more
cop in of that in Mike Brown. So at least,
if there's one thing going for the Knicks, it's that.
And if there's another thing that's going for the Knicks,
it's that they strengthened their bench.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
With Jordan Clarkson on a minimum deal.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Just a few years ago was averaging twenty a night
with the Jazz, just last season averaging sixteen to night.
He's going to be a great bench scorer for them
and a perfect compliment in their second unit backcourt with
Deuce McBride. And the fact that they got him on
(06:36):
a veteran's minimum after getting bought out by the Jazz
a few days ago, that's very damn impressive. And I
think his presence off the bench now, yeah, he probably
will have a limited role on a contender, but if
he could be the bench scorer that he was in
Utah and average ten twelve a night.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
That's gonna be a pretty good sign.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Arguably, I'd say one of the more underrated signings of
the offseason.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
So I'm very happy for Jordan Clarkson. Welcome to New York.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
And now there's also rumors that they might try to
target Ben Simmons, which why who wants Ben Simmons in
twenty twenty five? Don't understand that whatsoever, But maybe if
he comes to the Knicks on a veteran's minimum, I
might be okay with it. If anything, would be a
good chance for him to build his stardom back up,
(07:32):
build back up his reputation after how his Philadelphia tenure ended,
the disaster that was his time on the other side
of town in Brooklyn, and then taking a lesser role
for a Clippers team that went out pretty quick.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
It's something I'd be open to. Would I be a
fan of it?
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Maybe not, But it really depends on the salary for me,
So we'll see what happens. There still a lot more
off season for the nick but at least one of
their biggest questions going into next season has finally been answered.
And now it's time to keep chugging along further into
free agency as the preparation for twenty five twenty six
(08:17):
continues in the city that never sleeps.
Welcome to Pag's Perspective with your host Ryan Pagano.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Alright, so it only took about a month, but finally, finally,
the New York Dicks have a head coach. Only took
until the third day of free agency to make that happen,
but they finally have a bench boss for twenty five,
twenty six and beyond, and it's Mike Brown. I'll be honest,
(00:27):
I feel like this is a downgrade, and I hope
I'm proven wrong on that, but right off the bat,
this feels like a downgrade. Now, Granted, whoever was gonna
replace Tom Thibodeau when he got let go following the
knicks deepest playoff run in twenty five years. Whoever the
(00:48):
next head coach was gonna be, whether it's gonna be
Johnny Bryant, Jason Kidd. Hell, even if Mike Malone was
the next head coach of the Knicks, whoever they brought,
it was gonna be viewed as a downgrade by the
fans and the New.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
York sports media no matter what, that's all bound to happen.
Speaker 2 (01:11):
But Mike Brown, he just feels like the seventh or
eighth best option out there in my opinion. I mean, yes,
he's a very experienced head coach, there's no denying that. Yes,
he made it farther in the playoffs than Tom Thibodeau
ever will as an NBA head coach.
Speaker 1 (01:32):
But you think of that, and then.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
You also think about how his previous stops had ended.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yes, he carried.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Lebron and whatever the hell made up the six oh
seven Cleveland Cavaliers to the finals, their first ever finals
appearance at that.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
And then he wore out a welcome with them.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Same thing with Kobe Gasol and two extend Nash and
Dwight Howard in Lakerland. I remember him wearing out his
welcome with those stars over there. And just most recently, Yes,
he turned the Sacramento Kings from the shit show of
the Western Conference into a playoff team and then just
(02:18):
as fast pissed off the Aaron Fox enough to the
point where he wanted nothing to do with the Kings
anymore and pretty much forced him and his coach's way
out of town. Like the fall for the Kings, going
from a very surprising three seed in the West to
getting canned before last season's All Star break.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
In a span of two years that has to be studied.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
And the same logic kind of applies to Mike Malone,
at least when it came to discussing the rumors that
he could potentially be the next head coach of the Knicks.
Are we gonna pretend that he wasn't fired or let
go for no reason? Like the fact that Malone was
(03:06):
the latest NBA head coach firing in a season ever,
and I'm talking like a week before the playoffs started,
that really should be speaking volumes. The fact that Mike
Brown was let go from the Sacramento Kings after not
just taking his team to the third seed in the West,
but also six months before his firing, receiving a twenty
(03:30):
six million dollar extension, and then being let go just
six months into said extension, that really should speak volumes.
Although there have been reports that have come out in
light of the Mike Brown firing in Sacramento that nobody
wanted to fire Mike, so I could see the argument
(03:54):
there at the same time that he can be a
pretty likable guy, a pretty likable coach.
Speaker 1 (04:00):
It's why he keeps getting jobs in the NBA, after all,
So that shouldn't go unspoken.
Speaker 2 (04:09):
And now he gets a big test with a Knicks
team that seems like the favorites in the Eastern Conference
this season, with the Pacers really not being able to
run it back with the Halliburton injury in Game seven
of the Finals him being out all of twenty five
twenty six, And it also certainly doesn't help that Miles
(04:32):
Turner left for the Milwaukee Bucks, but then also the
Celtics Corps just blowing up predictably because let's be real,
twenty four to twenty five was gonna be the last
run with that Corps before the Cap would inevitably force
their breakup. Also doesn't help that Tatum is likely to
(04:54):
miss most of next season with his achilles injury, and
with the Cavs gaining more experience in otherwise weak Eastern
Conference at the top, that kind of leaves the door
wide open for the Knicks to make a potential run.
It really came down to who was gonna be the
(05:16):
next bench boss. But this is gonna take a little
bit of time for the hire to grow on me.
I think he could be a good head coach in
New York, but it just needs time for me. I
feel like he was the seventh or eighth best higher
that they could have gotten. That said, I do have
(05:38):
to give him the benefit of the doubt because I
do feel like he would be less stubborn in his
ways than Thibodeau was when it matters.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
I do feel he'd be way more open to.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Adjustments anything that Tibadeau did not adjust to when the
time mattered in the playoffs. I'm a little bit more
cop in of that in Mike Brown. So at least,
if there's one thing going for the Knicks, it's that.
And if there's another thing that's going for the Knicks,
it's that they strengthened their bench.
Speaker 1 (06:12):
With Jordan Clarkson on a minimum deal.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
Just a few years ago was averaging twenty a night
with the Jazz, just last season averaging sixteen to night.
He's going to be a great bench scorer for them
and a perfect compliment in their second unit backcourt with
Deuce McBride. And the fact that they got him on
(06:36):
a veteran's minimum after getting bought out by the Jazz
a few days ago, that's very damn impressive. And I
think his presence off the bench now, yeah, he probably
will have a limited role on a contender, but if
he could be the bench scorer that he was in
Utah and average ten twelve a night.
Speaker 1 (06:58):
That's gonna be a pretty good sign.
Speaker 2 (07:01):
Arguably, I'd say one of the more underrated signings of
the offseason.
Speaker 1 (07:06):
So I'm very happy for Jordan Clarkson. Welcome to New York.
Speaker 2 (07:10):
And now there's also rumors that they might try to
target Ben Simmons, which why who wants Ben Simmons in
twenty twenty five? Don't understand that whatsoever, But maybe if
he comes to the Knicks on a veteran's minimum, I
might be okay with it. If anything, would be a
good chance for him to build his stardom back up,
(07:32):
build back up his reputation after how his Philadelphia tenure ended,
the disaster that was his time on the other side
of town in Brooklyn, and then taking a lesser role
for a Clippers team that went out pretty quick.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
It's something I'd be open to. Would I be a
fan of it?
Speaker 2 (07:52):
Maybe not, But it really depends on the salary for me,
So we'll see what happens. There still a lot more
off season for the nick but at least one of
their biggest questions going into next season has finally been answered.
And now it's time to keep chugging along further into
free agency as the preparation for twenty five twenty six
(08:17):
continues in the city that never sleeps.
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