Mike Brown has yet to coach a single game for the Knicks, yet there may be no coach in the entire league who is under more pressure this season. Anything less than a trip to the NBA finals would make the season a failure.
The Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau after he helped turn the franchise around over the last five years, before leading them to their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years. The logic for the firing was simple: Thibodeau was the right man to turn the franchise around; he was not the right man to lead them to a title.
In the eyes of the front office and ownership, the ceiling that Thibodeau could reach had been reached. They needed someone who could take them to an even higher ceiling, someone whom they deemed to be Mike Brown.
The expectations for Brown are sky high
Coaching the Knicks is one of the most desirable jobs in sports. They are one of America's most storied franchises, and play in one of the most historic arenas, in one of the largest markets, with one of the most rabid fanbases. Coaching a team like that always comes with high expectations, but this time they are even higher.
It becomes very hard to justify the firing of Thibodeau if his replacement doesn't take this roster to the NBA finals. While winning the finals is always the goal, it is rarely the standard, for the simple fact that it is incredibly hard to do.
Brown is walking into a very unique situation. If he doesn't deliver in season one, the calls for his job will be loud.
Could those expectations be part of the reason that it was hard to find a coach?
It took the Knicks nearly a month to hire Thibodeau's replacement. They first tried to pry numerous coaches away from other teams to no avail. There is no concrete evidence to support this, but it is not impossible to think that coaches would want more security than what the Knicks' job carries.
Walking into a championship-or-bust situation with one of the most difficult to navigate media environments in all of sports is not for the faint of heart. Brown will be under a microscope from the first time he steps on the sidelines of Madison Square Garden until the season comes to an end. And if it comes to an end prior to the finals? Well, he could be out of a job once again.