The New York Knicks have such high expectations as they look to break an over 50-year championship drought that a slight failure could gift the Golden State Warriors an ideal replacement for Steve Kerr.
Kerr is still no guarantee of leaving the Warriors with a decision either way expected in the next two weeks, but Knicks head coach Mike Brown is already seen as a perfect potential replacement given his history with the franchise as an assistant for six years between 2016 and 2022.
Knicks could oust Mike Brown if they don't reach the NBA Finals
The problem for Golden State is that Brown is in just the first of a four-year contract with New York, having led the team to a 53-29 record and the third-seed in the Eastern Conference after replacing Tom Thibodeau.
However, there's already noise surrounding Brown's tenure at the Knicks after falling behind 2-1 in their first-round series against the Atlanta Hawks, though they did tie things up with a dominant Game 4 victory on Saturday.
According to Sam Amick of The Athletic on Monday, only a run all the way through to the NBA Finals will quiet the noise over Brown's future given the demands set by owner James Dolan earlier in the season.
"The noise surrounding the Knicks’ Mike Brown won’t die down unless they reach the NBA Finals, and even that might not be good enough for the first-year New York coach to be safe. Fair or not, those are the finals-or-bust parameters set by owner James Dolan when he gave that rare interview in which he said as much earlier this season," Amick wrote.
Having your job on the line like this in year one does feel very unfair, but the Warriors could capitalize on the situation if Brown was to feel the wrath of failing to meet the lofty expectations set by the franchise.
Mike Brown could be coaching for another job right now
Golden State (or another team) would have to think twice about hiring Brown if New York were to suffer a first-round exit against Atlanta. While a run to the Eastern Conference Finals might not be enough to save his job at the Knicks, that might be enough to convince the Warriors that he's the right man if Kerr departs.
While Brown will be solely focused on winning a championship with the Knicks, the reality is that he could also be coaching for another job right now should they, at the very least, sustain a deep playoff run.
Brown's relationship with Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, among others in the Warriors organization, would also be crucial to landing the role if it becomes available and he finds himself on the market once again.
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