The New York Knicks have officially brought in Mike Brown as their new head coach—a move that should energize both the team and its fanbase. Brown is known for his up-tempo style and fast-paced systems, which align well with what the Knicks need to take the next step.
Coming off an impressive 2024-25 campaign that ended with a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals—where they fell to the Indiana Pacers—the Knicks already have several key pieces in place. Now, with Brown stepping in to replace former head coach Tom Thibodeau, the hope is that these adjustments can help push New York to a championship run in 2025-26.
However, things aren’t entirely smooth for the franchise. Due to delays in hiring their new coach, the Knicks have encountered some offseason challenges, and the timing has led to a few complications. That rough patch continued with some disappointing news during NBA Summer League play.
The New York Knicks Just Lost a Great Candidate
With Mike Brown now in place as the Knicks’ head coach, he’s begun the process of assembling his coaching staff. However, things haven’t gone smoothly. Due to the late timing of his hire, the team is struggling to find qualified candidates who are still available.
As the Knicks work to build out Mike Brown’s coaching staff, they’ve hit a roadblock with the Milwaukee Bucks. A new report reveals that the Bucks are blocking New York from interviewing Darvin Ham for a lead assistant position under Brown. According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, as cited by The Daily Knicks, Milwaukee is open to letting Ham interview for head coaching opportunities but has denied permission for what they view as a lateral move to another assistant role.
In essence, while they’d support Ham pursuing a promotion, they aren’t willing to lose him for a job they see as equal to his current position. The New Orleans Pelicans reportedly had the same stance when they declined to allow assistant coach James Borrego to join the Knicks’ staff.
Knicks Are Getting Used to the Word ‘No’
The Knicks are quickly becoming familiar with rejection when it comes to pursuing coaching staff targets—an unfortunate trend. While there’s still hope that the right candidate will become available soon, at the moment, they’re striking out more than connecting.
As Dan Favale of The Daily Knicks pointed out in a feature published on Saturday, July 12, all of this “puts the Knicks in an awkward situation.” He notes that while the team has secured Mike Brown as head coach and assembled a portion of the staff, the crucial role of lead assistant remains unfilled.
New York’s decision to take its time in hiring Brown—though perhaps wise in terms of thoroughness—may end up backfiring. By waiting, the Knicks missed out on a number of strong coaching candidates, including Jared Dudley, Frank Vogel, and Sean Sweeney. If Brown was truly their top choice all along, acting sooner may have given them better options. But what’s done is done—and now the focus has to shift to building around the hire they made.
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