Knicks' Tom Thibodeau, Magic's Jamahl Mosley feel for fired coach Mike Brown
Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown yells to his team during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs in Sacramento, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024. Credit: AP/Jed Jacobsohn
ORLANDO, Fla. — As the Knicks prepared to face Orlando on Friday night, what they really were game-planning for was Jamahl Mosley, the Magic's coach.
Orlando's stars were mostly in street clothes, but somehow the Magic have managed to hang near the top of the Eastern Conference standings. They entered the night in fourth place, two games behind the third-place Knicks.
As one star after another has gotten injured, the Magic have relied on the hard-nosed defense styled by Mosley. Tom Thibodeau can relate, having done the same with the Knicks just last season. The two coaches also shared a common bond as contenders for NBA coach of the year honors, an award Thibodeau has taken home twice. Mosley finished second last season, three spots ahead of Thibodeau.
The other common bond: Two of the best coaches in the league saw how little that means as the Kings unceremoniously fired Mike Brown on Friday afternoon. The move came just six months after they signed him to a three-year extension and two seasons after he was the unanimous choice for the NBA Coach of the Year.
“You hate to see it,” said Thibodeau, who was let go by two previous franchises despite turning them around each time. “It’s part of what we go through. Mike’s a terrific person and great coach. It’s unfortunate.”
Mosley is on his first head-coaching assignment but has excelled and held the Magic together even as Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and Mo Wagner have gone out for extended periods — or the entire season. He paid his dues as an assistant, including working with Jalen Brunson in Dallas, and he felt the immediacy of Brown’s firing.
“I’ve said it before, it’s what we know we signed up for in some ways,” Mosley said. “It doesn’t explain the why behind it when it happens, because I think he compiled a record of 107-88 when he was there. He changed a bit of that culture in what he was doing. I say these things not only as a fellow coach. I say this as, he’s a close friend. He’s been a mentor of mine and I know how good he is and I know how he cares, how he’s helped pave the way for so many of us that are in the game right now.
“And so it stings because of the man I know he is and what he represents and what he’s done for this game and for so many of us that are sitting in these seats right now. It goes back to understanding the nature of this business. You do take on a lot of responsibility, and whether good or bad, you have to accept those pieces. But for a man who’s done what he’s done, I can’t speak on another organization. I just know who he is and what he represents.”
It is the life of a coach, lightly acknowledged for what they build and blamed first when it goes wrong. After failing to make the playoffs for 16 seasons, the Kings got to the postseason in their first year under Brown but have struggled this season. They're riding a five-game losing streak that has dropped them to 13-18 and 12th place in the Western Conference.
Mosley's Magic brought a 19-13 record into Friday night's game, right behind the Knicks (20-10). Mosley might be doing an even better job this season than he did in 2023-24, and the key has been the same one that Thibodeau has clung to for most of his career — focusing on defense and toughness, traits that he doesn’t need stars for.
“I think Jamahl’s done a great job here,” Thibodeau said. “They’re built with length and versatility, guys who can guard multiple positions. Obviously, you want to be strong on both sides of the ball, but [their defense] gives you your foundation and you can build it from there. That’s the way to go. There’s nights you’re not going to shoot the ball great, but you can still have a chance to win.
“I think that’s the importance of having that foundation. It gives you a chance if you do have injuries, which everyone does at some point. You’re not replacing a Banchero or Wagner, both Wagners, individually. But collectively you can.”
Notes & quotes: Thibodeau said Mitchell Robinson’s return, which has been plotted for late January at the soonest, remains without a definitive timeline, but he noted, “Overall he’s doing very well. Still hasn’t been cleared for practice. That’ll be the next step and he’s getting closer. When that is, I’m not sure. There are still some benchmarks he has to get through. But he’s done a terrific job. He’s light. He’s lean. He’s working extremely hard. We just want to make sure we’re patient and let him work through it. I wouldn’t say it’s all-out sprinting, but it’s the next step. There’s jumping. It’s going to be step-by-step. Then full-speed running is probably the next phase. Once we get through that, then contact, and then he’ll probably be cleared for practice.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
