Mike Brown is supposed to be the difference. But just how different are these Knicks?
Firing Tom Thibodeau — after reaching the conference finals for the first time in 25 years — and hiring Brown is what the Knicks made clear they believed would elevate them to true contender status. There were some peripheral moves to the bench, but the personnel, particularly the core, is pretty much the exact same.
Before the season, Brown envisioned a new identity — faster pace, more ball movement, more 3-pointers, deeper usage of the bench. That vision is what the Knicks gambled on to reach a new level.
Just over halfway through the season, though, it does not look much different.
