Mike Brown tempering early Knicks expectations: Itll take time

Mike Brown knows that this will all be a process for the Knicks.It’ll take time for everything to mesh together — from the new-look offense to the rotation and everything in between — and stretch into the season.

They need to hit adversity, too, to know if the standards he has implemented work, he said.“It’s not gonna happen Game 1, Game 2 — we’re not gonna come out, could we come out blazing? Yeah, who knows,” Brown said after the Knicks practiced Wednesday.“We’re gonna have our highs.

We’re gonna have our lows.Can’t get too high if it’s going good.

Can’t get too low if it’s not.“We gotta stay even-keeled and know that this is a marathon and not a sprint, at the end of the day.”Brown’s answer occurred after fielding a question about Josh Hart, who hasn’t played in a preseason game since exiting the opener in Abu Dhabi with a back injury.He has continued doing more on-court work and started shooting, a Knicks spokesperson said Wednesday, but Brown wasn’t certain if Hart would be available for the Knicks’ preseason finale Friday against the Hornets.Hart’s lingering injury has become just the latest variable for the Knicks to adjust to.

Brown said last week that they hadn’t installed any plays yet, as he’s encouraging his players — for now — to execute a read-and-react system during exhibitions that reflects the desired tempo and pace.Sign up for Inside the Knicks by Stefan Bondy, a weekly exclusive on Sports+.

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Enjoy this Post Sports+ exclusive newsletter! Malcolm Brogdon, slated to be the Knicks’ backup point guard, suddenly retired Wednesday, too.But OG Anunoby said the Knicks just want to “peak toward the end [of the regular season] and into the playoffs.” There might be growing pains along the way.Might be a learning curve — evident during their preseas...