Replacing Tom Thibodeau as head coach of the New York Knicks was always bound to be a high-pressure job for Mike Brown.
After all, considering his predecessor accumulated the fourth-most wins in club history in a span of only five seasons and had just brought them to their first Eastern Conference Finals berth in 25 years, expectations to see improved success are understandably high.
Because of this, many have speculated that Brown could be a one-and-done hire for the Knicks, as owner James Dolan has publicly declared a Finals-or-bust mandate for this year and has a decades-long track record of making rash decisions.
Of course, SNY's Ian Begley doesn't believe the new headman has any reason to fear that his job is in jeopardy... not yet, anyway.
NBA Insider doubts Mike Brown will be fired from Knicks after season
During a recent episode of The Putback, Begley downplayed the possibility of Brown being canned by the Knicks following the conclusion of the 2025-26 campaign, saying "that kind of scenario, while it exists... It's unlikely."
"You're talking about a real flame out, a bad, bad showing with everyone healthy in the playoffs for them to make that kind of a change," Begley said.
The Knicks Insider would continue on to say that even a second-round exit might not even be enough to see Brown removed from his position, though he noted that, if such a situation were to occur, he'd almost certainly head into the second season of his four-year deal "under fire."
As things currently stand, New York boasts a record of 41-25, places third in the East standings, and sports the third-best odds of representing the conference in this year's title round at plus-1,800, surprisingly tied with the top-seeded Detroit Pistons.
Needless to say, with 16 games remaining before the postseason, confidence in the Knicks' chances of hoisting the Larry O'Brien Trophy is still enviably high, so, up to this point, coach Brown has managed to do a fine job of keeping this team in the hunt.
Come playoff time, the hope is that, as currently constructed, New York can finally make it to the promised land for the first time since 1973.
If not, though some may think a coaching shakeup should be considered, Begley is more of the belief that "the bigger question" is what will become of the roster, as many believe it could be significantly tinkered with this summer should they fall short of a Finals appearance.