SACRIFICE REQUIRED: MIKE BROWN’S NON-NEGOTIABLE RULES FOR REBUILDING THE KNICKS' WINNING CHEMISTRY
Are the Knicks contenders? Read Mike Brown’s championship claim, the KAT shooting crisis, and how to beat the dominant Pistons.
The New York Knicks kicked off this season with a lot of hype. After last year’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals, everyone figured they’d be pushing for a real shot at the title this time.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown isn’t shying away from that talk. He’s convinced this team can win it all. Sure, they've looked sharp in his first year at the helm, but it hasn’t been smooth the whole way. They started strong with 23 wins and 9 losses and even grabbed the NBA Cup. Then, out of nowhere, they crashed into a 2-9 skid that almost derailed everything.
After that rough patch, they rattled off eight straight wins, but since then, it’s been a lot of back-and-forth. One night they look like contenders, the next they’re just average. Even with the ups and downs, they’re sitting in third place in the East, just a game and a half behind the Celtics.
Brown still believes in his squad, despite all the turbulence. “I truly believe it,” he said Thursday. “We’re a championship team. But you have to be playing your best basketball;contenders; everyone has to be on the same page. Sacrifice is non-negotiable. If even one guy isn’t buying in, that wrecks your chemistry, and chemistry is everything. You need to want to compete every night. And you have to believe.”
He knows the pressure is there, but he keeps bringing it back to belief and accountability. “Even when things go south 2-7, 2-9, you can’t just believe in the process; you have to believe in each other. And everyone, starting with me, has to be held accountable.”
The Knicks have had their moments, but they still don’t look settled. Karl-Anthony Towns is having the worst shooting year of his career. Mikal Bridges can’t seem to find his rhythm, on offence or defence. It doesn’t help that tough, physical teams have given them nightmares. The Pistons, who are running away with the East, have manhandled the Knicks in all three matchups, outscoring them by a whopping 84 points combined. That’s not just a bad night; that’s a glaring talent gap the Knicks need to close.
If they want to be a real championship threat, everything has to come together. Right now, it’s obvious they’re still adjusting to a new system, and time is running out. The playoffs are coming fast. If they don’t figure it out soon, belief alone won’t be enough.
MIKE BROWN BLASTS KNICKS AFTER EMBARRASSING FIRST HALF AGAINST BATTERED WARRIORS
Mike Brown rips into the New York Knicks after a sluggish 110-107 win over an undermanned Golden State Warriors squad.
The New York Knicks barely pulled off a comeback win over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, edging them out 110-107. But honestly, looking at who the Warriors had available, it didn’t feel much like a win.
The Warriors were missing a tonne of key players: Steph Curry, Draymond Green, Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, and Jimmy Butler were all out. The Knicks, playing at home and coming in as 14-point favourites, should’ve had an easy night. Instead, they found themselves down by 21 and had to scramble just to get the job done. Even their head coach, Mike Brown, made it clear he wasn’t impressed. He spent most of his postgame press conference tearing into his team for letting things get so out of hand.
“At this point of the year, it’s good to get a win. But I was not happy the way we started the game,” Brown told reporters after the game.
Brown said he isn’t planning any lineup changes, at least not yet. But he’s not ruling anything out as the regular season winds down.
It’s not like this slow-start problem is new. Over their last six games, the Knicks have the third-worst net rating in first quarters, sitting at minus-18. That's nowhere near good enough with the playoffs about a month away.
These were supposed to be easier games on the schedule, but New York keeps making them harder than they should be. The Knicks had to come back from down 18 against the Jazz, and before that, they actually blew a 17-point lead to an undermanned Pacers team, barely hanging on for that win, too.
Brown’s frustration shows. He’s been vocal about the team’s poor starts, and after this Warriors game, he even decided not to name a Defensive Player of the Game – the first time all season he left that honour blank after a win.
“This is a veteran team… I shouldn’t have to call two timeouts in the first six minutes of the ballgame,” Brown said afterward.
With the playoffs coming up fast, the Knicks have no choice; they need to start games with more energy and focus. Falling behind early won’t always be something they can come back from, especially against tougher teams.
WHY DILLON BROOKS IS THE SURPRISE CHOICE TO REPLACE LEBRON JAMES
LeBron James may leave the Lakers this summer, with rumours swirling about Dillon Brooks arriving as his defensive replacement.
The Lakers have some big decisions ahead this offseason, and if the whispers about LeBron James leaving become reality, wing depth jumps to the top of the to-do list.
Now, the idea of LeBron and Dillon Brooks, of all people, teaming up sounds wild, maybe even impossible. And yet, there’s buzz about LA making a move for Brooks, who’s been a LeBron nemesis for years. In this scenario, though, Brooks would actually slide in as LeBron’s replacement, not his teammate.
The timing almost feels right for Brooks. He’s putting together the best season of his career, finally living up to that 3-and-D role people have been waiting for. If the Lakers really are building around Luka Dončić (now, suddenly, the centrepiece) and Austin Reaves, then Brooks fits in perfectly.
So, what would it take? Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz floated an idea: the Lakers send Jake LaRavia, Dalton Knecht, Adou Thiero, and a projected 2026 first-round pick (No. 25 overall) to the Suns for Brooks. That’s giving up some youth and a pick, but you get a proven scorer and one of the league’s top defenders. Honestly, for a team chasing championships, that’s not a steep price.
“If LeBron James leaves the Lakers in free agency, the team will need a new starting power forward,” Swartz wrote. “It would be hilarious for Brooks and LeBron to team up, but even without James, Brooks works; he’s a strong defender and can score. He’s averaging almost 21 points, nearly four rebounds, and a steal a game for the Suns this year. So, the numbers are there.
This isn’t the first time Brooks’ name has popped up with the Lakers, but before, that rivalry with LeBron always killed the idea. If LeBron’s gone, though, all bets are off. Brooks makes sense with Doncic, and that’s who the front office seems locked in on now.
Money-wise, Brooks will cost just under $20 million next season. For what he’s provided this year, that could actually be a bargain. If the Lakers want to shore up the wing, they need to think seriously about this.
Now, the LeBron era in LA feels like it’s finally winding down. In the past, the Lakers would’ve looped him into every big decision, but with Doncic getting a new extension, he’s the main guy now. LeBron, despite all he’s done, might just be an afterthought as he weighs his next move.
People have speculated about a LeBron exit for years, but it feels different now. Jovan Buha, who covers the Lakers closely, said on his show that it’s more real this time than ever before. “There’s always been a buzz he could head somewhere else, maybe finish his career in Cleveland again. But honestly, this is the closest it’s ever felt to actually happening.”
The Lakers plan to keep Reaves this summer and, surprisingly, have actually played better with LeBron off the floor. That’s another hint that a major shift is coming.
Bottom line: they need fresh wing talent to fill the void if LeBron walks. Plenty of names will pop up, but Dillon Brooks is one guy Pelinka and company can’t ignore as they chart a new direction.
Must Read
