Brown was named coach of the Cavs in the summer of 2005. They went to the playoffs in his first season and in 2007, the Cavs beat the Detroit Pistons to make the Eastern Conference Finals. The Cavs won more than 60 games in Brown's final two years with the team, eventually being fired in 2010 for not being able to get the team over the hump.

Through their free-agency activity so far and the expected hiring of Mike Brown to be their next head coach, the New York Knicks have made one thing unassailably clear: They are all-in on juicing their offense—potential collateral damage on defense be absolutely damned.

As a 55-year-old and a four-time fired head coach, Brown represents neither the most obvious nor most exciting choice. If the Knicks struggle, heat will fall quickly on the front office. But Brown is also a safe pick with over 750 regular-season games, a 60% winning percentage and two Coach of the Year awards.