Why Mike Brown’s recent Draymond Green interaction angered Knicks players

The New York Knicks have been freefalling as of late, hitting a new low on Monday night with a blowout home loss to the Dallas Mavericks. After a strong start to the year, the Knicks are now in danger of cascading down the Eastern Conference standings, already having lost their grip on the number two seed.

The Knicks’ struggles reached a boiling point during the team’s recent West Coast trip, which included a loss against the Golden State Warriors. During that game, Warriors forward Draymond Green received a flagrant foul for tripping Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns, but that didn’t stop Knicks coach Mike Brown, a former Warriors assistant, from sharing a hug with Green after the game.

On Tuesday, ESPN NBA insider Ramona Shelburne reported on NBA Today that “From what I understand, this hug did not land well with a lot of folks there in New York… while you can understand while he might have something of a bond with Draymond Green, I don’t think that landed well, especially not in the middle of a losing streak…” per Oh No He Didn’t on X, formerly Twitter.

This comes amid reporting from Ian Begley of SNY that some players in the Knicks organization were lacking commitment to their roles with the team under Brown’s system.

New York currently sits at 25-18 on the season, despite having been 23-9 just a few weeks ago, around the time when they won the NBA In-Season tournament.

While the sky is not falling just yet, it will certainly be interesting to see how much the Knicks’ front office lets this losing skid influence what they choose to do, or not do, at the upcoming NBA trade deadline, which is set for February 5.

In any case, the Knicks will next take the court on Wednesday night against the Brooklyn Nets.

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