Legendary NBA announcer Kevin Harlan doesn’t know what the outcome of the New York Knicks’ big changes this summer will be.
The New York Knicks had a great summer and made some big changes to the team after a successful season that included a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
One of the most controversial decisions of the summer came shortly after the Knicks fired Tom Thibodeau as head coach.
Thibodeau was the most successful Knicks coach in recent memory, making the Knicks a playoff regular, something they weren’t before he took over.
As the Knicks look to move forward with the hiring of Mike Brown as head coach, one of the Knicks and NBA’s legendary announcers is concerned that the team may have made a mistake.
Legendary announcer Kevin Harlan recently spoke to Sports Illustrated ahead of the new NBA season. Harlan shared his concerns when discussing the New York Knicks.
First, Harlan didn’t mention Mike Brown, but he did share his concerns about the New York Knicks. Especially how they will do without Tom Thibodeau.
“I’m worried about how that’s going to play out. I really thought Tom Thibodeau did a great job and substituted as the playoffs went on and used the bench more and should have done that. I think this was a very compelling story.”
Tom Thibodeau did a good job with the Knicks, but there’s no denying that he was set in his ways, which was to the team’s detriment.
Particularly troubling was Thibs’ insistence on having his top stars play too many minutes during the regular season, leaving them fatigued and prone to injury in the playoffs.
Donte DiVincenzo compared firing Tom Thibodeau to trading him, but there’s no denying the Knicks had to make some changes after the Eastern Conference Finals.
And so far, Brown has begun making changes to Thibodeau’s system, big and small, in an effort to put his stamp on the team.
Mikal Bridges has enjoyed playing for Brown so far because the new coach has given him a bigger role and wants him to play at the highest level.
Brown also has high hopes for Jalen Brunson, who he has worked closely with to adapt to the new system.