Jalen Brunson

Jalen Brunson: Knicks Need Right ‘Mindset’ To Surpass Last Season

September 17th, 2025 at 11:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Knicks clearly appear to be one of the top two teams in the East, but star guard Jalen Brunson doesn’t want his teammates to believe that means an automatic return to the conference finals, he told D.J. Siddiqi of Games Hub.

“Hopefully we don’t have that mindset going into the season where we think we’re just going to jump back into the Eastern Conference Finals,” Brunson said in an interview this week. “We need to be able to go through this process again and continue to get better and to fight to get over that hump.”

New York returns the core of a roster that fell two games short of a trip to the NBA Finals last season. The team is counting on improved depth after adding Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele in free agency, along with several other talents who will compete for roster spots in training camp. The Knicks also made a coaching change, with Mike Brown considered more likely to rely on a deep bench than his predecessor, Tom Thibodeau.

Brunson believes the offseason maneuvering has put the team in position to succeed at the highest level.

“I think we’ve been taking steady steps every year,” he said. “The best part about our team is the chemistry we’ve grown and we’ve created. A lot of people help us on this journey, and to be able to be where we are now, it’s nothing to be satisfied about. Everyone says, ‘Oh, you need to get experience.’ Well, this is us getting experience. This is literally us going through the trials and tribulations of being a good team. So continue to do that and just find a way to see what can we do to get over that hump.

“It’s going to take all of us. It’s not going to take just one change or another small thing. It’s going to take all of us together to kind of put everything aside and pull together.”

Brunson was also complimentary of center Karl-Anthony Towns, who expanded the team’s offensive capabilities after being acquired from Minnesota shortly before the start of last season. There won’t be a learning curve for Towns as he prepares for his second year in New York, and Brunson believes he can be even better after earning third-team All-NBA honors.

“Having him as a teammate has been really fun,” Brunson said. “I think that gets overlooked how good of a teammate he is. Obviously, he’s a great player and what he does on the court. But the teammate he is and what he brings to the locker room for us is special. So I’m really happy to have him. Don’t think you can compare him. He shoots the ball so effortlessly, and he can make plays. He has great touch around the rim, so he’s pretty much his own person. He picks different games of styles of basketball, and kind of makes it into his own.”

Jordan Clarkson Explains Why He Signed With Knicks

September 7th, 2025 at 9:56am CST by Arthur Hill

Joining the Knicks was an easy decision for Jordan Clarkson after he reached a buyout agreement with Utah in early July, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The veteran guard explained the process during a taping of “The Roommates” podcast Saturday night with new teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.

Clarkson said he was at the Wimbledon tennis tournament when his agent, Rich Paul of Klutch Sports, called to ask where he wanted to go. Clarkson picked New York, and Paul contacted the team to see if there was mutual interest.

“It all happened in two minutes,” Clarkson said. “Then I was a Knick.”

Heading into his 12th NBA season, Clarkson is joining an organization that gives him his best shot at winning a title. The Knicks are coming off an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals and are considered by many to be the favorites in the East this season.

Clarkson said the passion of New York fans also played a major role in his decision.

“The arena (Madison Square Garden), honestly,” he said. “Feeling the energy from the fans. Knowing they’re going to let you have it if you’re playing like s–t. But when you’re playing great, it’s all love. At the end of the day, I just want to feel the energy. Get to play with y’all (Brunson and Hart).”

Brunson indicated that he and Clarkson have discussed teaming up in the past, telling the crowd at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park, “I’m not going to say when, but me and Jordan talked about this a while ago.”

Clarkson only appeared in 37 games last season with the Jazz, but he was still productive when he was on the court, averaging 16.2 PPG in 26 minutes per night while shooting 40.8% from the field and 36.2% from three-point range.

He’s a former Sixth Man of the Year, earning that honor with Utah during the 2020/21 season, and the Knicks will be counting on him to provide instant offense off the bench. Bondy points out that at age 33, Clarkson will be the oldest player in New York’s projected rotation.

“Y’all been doing great things over here,” he told Brunson and Hart. “I just want to come in here and enhance what y’all got going on.”

Knicks Notes: Robinson, McBride, Brunson, Thibodeau

August 29th, 2025 at 6:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Knicks took care of plenty of business this summer, extending Mikal Bridges, hiring Mike Brown, and adding Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson in free agency. But one area the team has yet to address is the upcoming free agency of center Mitchell Robinson.

In a mailbag for The Athletic, James Edwards III discusses the Robinson conundrum for the Knicks, which revolves around both the immense value he has displayed for the team in back-to-back playoff runs, as well as the injury concerns that have limited him to just 48 games over the last two regular seasons.

Edwards’ sense is that the Knicks would be interested in a team-friendly extension, but if Robinson wants to bet on himself, that could complicate extension talks. Edwards also notes that should the center stay healthy during the first half of the season, the Knicks could consider trading him for value ahead of February’s deadline rather than risk losing him in free agency.

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One player who could see an uptick in responsibility this season is Miles McBride, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Post. Bondy notes that Bridges struggled in his role as the primary point-of-attack defender last season and was less effective than in the past at staying in front of high-level ball-handlers, a role McBride is perfectly suited to. Having McBride take primary guard matchups would allow Bridges to slot in as a tertiary defender while not forcing Jalen Brunson into defensive matchups he would struggle with. Bondy notes that former head coach Tom Thibodeau didn’t lean very heavily on lineups that included both McBride and Brunson, likely due to size concerns, but that Brown might be more open to the idea.
The addition of Brown is expected to bring more balance and structure to players’ roles, Bondy writes, and to increase the pace at which the team plays. As Bondy notes, that change may impact Brunson,w ho held the ball longer than any player in the NBA last season, with an average of 6.06 seconds per touch. By comparison, Tyrese Haliburton averaged just 3.65 seconds per touch. While Brunson is undeniably elite with the ball in his hand, encouraging him to make quicker decisions, especially when it comes to finding Karl-Anthony Towns along the perimeter, could help energize the offense and introduce more unpredictability.
At least one prominent coach is still grappling with the Knicks’ decision to fire Thibodeau, according to Bondy, who cites recent comments by Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue. “Should he have been fired? Hell no,” Lue said on the Club Shay Shay podcast. “The players did a hell of a job. And Thibs did a hell of a job. And to take a team to their first [conference finals] in 25 years and then get fired, like, it just doesn’t make sense.” Lue also believes that the circumstances around Thibodeau’s firing and the expectations conveyed by the front office make for a difficult situation for Brown. “That’s a tough spot to be in,” he said.

Knicks Notes: Kidd, Coaching Search, Offseason, Thibodeau

June 13th, 2025 at 7:02pm CST by Eli Cohen

The Knicks‘ interest in reuniting with Jason Kidd, who played one season for them, this time as a head coach, has been well documented. But with Kidd under contract with the Mavericks, the likeliest pathway for New York to do so would be via trade, writes Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus.

How exactly would such a trade work? Pincus suggests a deal that would see the Knicks sending out the 2026 Wizards’ protected first-round pick as well as top-four protected swap rights to their own 2026 first-rounder. Pincus compares the proposal to the Clippers trading a 2015 first-round pick to the Celtics in order to bring Doc Rivers into the fold, as well as the Bucks trading two second-round picks to the Nets to bring Kidd to Milwaukee.

The question for New York would ultimately be, with so few tradable assets available to them, would it make sense to use two valuable resources on a coach already under contract? Of course, if Dallas stands firm on its stance that Kidd isn’t available, the discussion may be moot.

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While the Knicks’ 2025 offseason revolved around reshaping and finalizing their core moving forward, the 2026 offseason will see them focused on adding crucial bench depth once they address the coaching vacancy, Yossi Gozlan writes for Third Apron (Substack link). In his offseason preview, Gozlan predicts the Knicks will operate above the first tax apron but below the second in order to maximize their limited flexibility. Given their limited ability to add a higher-salary player if they don’t move a key rotation piece, Gozlan suggests targeting young wings who might face roster crunches, such as the Rockets’ Cam Whitmore or Magic’s Jett Howard.
The Knicks will have formal interviews next week with Taylor Jenkins and Mike Brown, two of their top head coaching candidates, reports James L. Edwards III for The Athletic. Edwards also writes that the Knicks may circle back on Kidd and Bulls’ head coach Billy Donovan, despite having their interview requests denied, confirming an ESPN report. The Knicks will also begin checking in on assistant coaches as they cast as wide a net as possible.
Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart reiterated their appreciation for Tom Thibodeau on the latest episode of The Roommates Show podcast, Jared Schwartz writes for The New York Post. This was the first time Brunson, who has known Thibodeau his whole life, has experienced his NBA coach being fired. “To have Thibs to do what he did for my career, I’m just so grateful and thankful for. Not enough things can be said about what he’s meant to myself, my career,” Brunson said. Hart, who has experienced six coaches in eight seasons, also expressed gratitude: “He helped make me into the player that I am. I had a lot of instability in the early part of my career, and he kind of gave me that stability and that opportunity to flourish as a player in the league, as a starter in the league. I’m always gonna be forever grateful for him.” The two teammates and friends added that Thibodeau deserves a lot of credit for the strong Knicks foundation that has been built over the last few years.
Former Knick Austin Rivers was less positive about his time under Thibodeau. “I’m not really a Thibs guy. I played for him, it wasn’t the best experience personally, didn’t treat me well at all,” Rivers said on a recent episode of his podcast Off Guard With Austin Rivers, via Alex Kirschenbaum of Athlon Sports. Rivers describes his first interaction with Thibodeau upon joining the team, saying, “Thibodeau comes up to me and says, ‘Hey man, excited for you to be here. I wanted Derrick [Rose], but you’ll do great…’ And he walked away.” Rivers’ grievances don’t end with the coach, though. He expressed frustration with how his trade was handled, saying, “They don’t do business the right way sometimes.”

Latest On Jason Kidd, Knicks’ Coaching Search

June 10th, 2025 at 7:49am CST by Luke Adams

There’s “mutual intrigue” between Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd and the Knicks, who reportedly have interest in hiring him away from Dallas, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on Monday during a SportsCenter appearance (Twitter video link).

Peter Botte of The New York Post confirms that the interest between Kidd and the Knicks is mutual, while Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link) provides more details on why the former NBA star appeals to New York. As Stein explains, Kidd has existing relationships with Knicks owner James Dolan and star point guard Jalen Brunson, who is thought to be a “strong Kidd advocate.”

Kidd also has experience handling the New York City spotlight as both a player and a coach, which is considered an important part of the job, given how often the Knicks’ head coach is expected to speak on behalf of the franchise, Stein notes. Members of the front office, including president of basketball operations Leon Rose, essentially never talk to the media.

Whether that mutual interest between Kidd and New York leads anywhere remains to be seen, however. The Knicks haven’t yet asked the Mavericks for permission to speak to their head coach and likely won’t do so unless they’re confident they have a real chance to hire him, as Windhorst observes. Stein, who stated over the weekend that Dallas may simply turn down New York’s request for permission if it comes, agrees that the Knicks ultimately may not even submit that request, if that’s the outcome they’re expecting.

Still, until the Mavericks make it clear on or off the record – like the Rockets did with Ime Udoka – that they’re not entertaining the idea of letting their head coach go, or until the Knicks begin focusing on a new target, the chatter surrounding Kidd will likely continue, Stein writes.

Here’s more on Kidd and the Knicks’ head coaching vacancy:

Kidd wasn’t a big fan of having to act as the Mavericks’ de facto spokesman in the wake of the team’s Luka Doncic trade in February, writes James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. Still, Stein doesn’t believe Kidd is unhappy in Dallas or angling for the Knicks’ job, noting that the veteran head coach is close with Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving. Kidd and his family are also settled in Dallas, and he has also spoken enthusiastically in multiple media appearances in recent weeks about the prospect of adding Cooper Flagg.
Speaking of Flagg, the projected No. 1 overall pick is scheduled to visit Dallas next Tuesday. Stein suggests that the Mavericks likely won’t want Kidd’s future with the Mavs to still be an open question at that point, so resolution one way or the other should come within the next week.
Although it seems as if Kidd is the Knicks’ Plan A, the organization is expected to conduct an “exhaustive search that includes coaches at every level,” league sources tell Edwards.
While Tom Thibodeau had a reputation for being reluctant to play his youngsters, Jared Schwartz of The New York Post notes that second-round picks like Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride blossomed under the Knicks’ former head coach. Player development could be an important consideration in this coaching search, Schwartz adds, since the team will want to get the most out of 2024 draftees Pacome Dadiet, Tyler Kolek, and Ariel Hukporti.

Knicks Notes: Culture, Malone, Brunson, Towns

June 8th, 2025 at 8:00pm CST by Eli Cohen

There’s a lot that can be learned about Knicks‘ relationship with former head coach Tom Thibodeau and his recent firing, through the lens of what makes certain business cultures particularly effective, organizational behavior professor Spencer Harrison writes for The Athletic.

Harrison points to a specific moment in the Knicks’ season as indicative of the larger institutional issues at play: a March statement from Mikal Bridges in which Bridges referenced having had discussions with Thibodeau about the starters’ minutes load, and Thibodeau’s subsequent denial of such a conversation taking place.

“As someone who studies the cultures of businesses and organizations, I found Thibodeau’s response telling. To me, it suggested a stubbornness and unwillingness to consider other options, as if the conversation wasn’t even worth having,” Spencer writes.

Spencer also refers to a study of creative teams employing generalists versus specialists and which tends to yield the maximum creative output. The conclusion of the study, according to Spencer, was that people who had been introduced to a variety of approaches tended to be more adaptable and creative in their problem-solving. That stands in stark contrast to the notoriously stubborn Thibodeau, whose methods have yielded a great deal of success, but have at times caused his teams to struggle to adapt on the fly.

However, Spencer warns that simply firing Thibodeau does not guarantee positive results for the Knicks. As he notes, there are plenty of examples in the business world of leadership changes not working because a newcomer wants to implement an entirely new philosophy and culture, rather than building on what the previous regime did right.

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The Knicks should hire former Nuggets coach Michael Malone, opines Troy Renck of the Denver Post. While Malone’s tenure in Denver came to an abrupt end, Renck believes that his competitiveness, willingness to challenge his players, and media savvy would make him a great fit for the Knicks, who generally require their coach to serve as the main point of contact for the media. However, Renck does note that many of the frustrations with Thibodeau, including his over-reliance on starters and lack of trust in non-established bench players, are present with Malone as well, which could make for a complicated dynamic for a team looking to adjust its approach.
Jalen Brunson offered his first take on the Thibodeau firing, albeit in a “pictures are worth a thousand words” manner, writes the New York Post’s Bryan Fonseca. The star point guard posted a photo of himself and the recently fired coach on Instagram with two emojis: a white heart and a hand with its fingers crossed. It was a characteristically understated response from Brunson, who had previously gone to bat for Thibodeau. Following the end of the team’s playoff run, Brunson was quoted as saying, “Is that a real question right now? You just asked me if I believe he’s the right guy. Yes. Come on,” when asked if Thibodeau was the right coach for the job. This was his first public comment following the firing.
Last summer’s trade between the Knicks and Timberwolves represented one of the rarest things in the NBA: a true win-win deal, according to The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski and James Edwards III. The Knicks needed a center after free agent Isaiah Hartenstein left for Oklahoma City and Mitchell Robinson‘s injury rehabilitation took longer than expected. Meanwhile, the Wolves were dealing with a complicated salary cap situation for a roster they weren’t sure could sustain itself as a title contender. While the two stars headlining the deal, Karl-Anthony Towns for the Wolves and Julius Randle for the Knicks, were both shocked by the news, especially so close to training camp, both players ended up adjusting to their new surroundings — and both ended up in their respective Conference Finals. “I think if you had asked either front office last year, ‘Hey, worst-case scenario, you’ll lose in the conference finals?’ I think we’d have probably taken it even though we both have higher aspirations,” Wolves president Tim Connelly said.

Knicks Notes: Brunson, Towns, Thibodeau, Hart

June 7th, 2025 at 9:57pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are the most valuable trade assets the Knicks possess as they try to finish the job of building a championship roster, according to Kristian Winfield of The New York Daily News. Winfield ranks the potential value of everything New York has to work with this summer, starting with Brunson and going down to Boston’s top-45 protected second-round pick in 2028. Team president Leon Rose has limited draft capital remaining after last year’s trades for Towns and Mikal Bridges, so most of the coveted assets would be players.

It seems unthinkable that the Knicks would part with Brunson, their captain, especially after he accepted a team-friendly extension that could keep him under contract through the 2028/29 season. They may be more willing to move on from Towns, whose contract becomes more burdensome until he reaches a $61MM player option in 2027/28. Towns’ defensive shortcomings can make it challenging to have him and Brunson on the floor together, which Indiana exploited in the conference finals.

Bridges, New York’s 2032 first-round pick and OG Anunoby round out Winfield’s top five. The Knicks face a looming decision on Bridges, who is entering the final year of his contract and will be eligible for an offseason extension potentially worth $156MM over four years. Anunoby, the second-highest-paid player on the team, is signed for three more seasons and holds a $48.4MM player option for 2028/29.

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The team’s next head coach will be walking into an extremely high-pressure situation, as reaching the conference finals wasn’t enough to save Tom Thibodeau‘s job, notes Steve Popper of Newsday. He points out that the Knicks have been mentioned as serious suitors for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant, so the new coach will have to adjust his preferred style if one of those stars is in New York. Popper cautions that the team may have to aim smaller and states that avoiding the second apron figures to be an offseason priority. The Knicks are currently $8MM under that threshold, but can expand that by $3.5MM by declining their team option on P.J. Tucker. They could save another $2MM by also declining their option on Ariel Hukporti, but he may be too valuable at that price to let go.
Thibodeau deserved another season as head coach to hone the Brunson-Towns combination and figure out ways to improve the defense, contends Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Washburn argues that Thibodeau took the fall for management’s mistakes, including giving up five first-round picks for Bridges and parting with two valuable pieces from last year’s team to bring in Towns.
Josh Hart, who played for Jay Wright at Villanova, fully supports Wright’s decision to not pursue the Knicks’ coaching vacancy. “Man Thank You. Stay retired!” Hart tweeted.

Knicks Notes: Kidd, Finch, Thibodeau, Brunson

June 6th, 2025 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

After Marc Stein reported earlier today that the Knicks are expected to seek the Mavericks‘ permission to talk to head coach Jason Kidd about their head coaching job, Ian Begley of SNY.tv and ESPN’s Shams Charania and Tim MacMahon have confirmed as much. New York is “conducting active due diligence” on Kidd, according to Charania and MacMahon.

The question remains whether or not the Mavericks will grant that permission. Sources tell ESPN’s duo that Mavs general manager Nico Harrison and team owner Patrick Dumont haven’t yet discussed whether to allow Kidd and the Knicks to speak to one another. It’s also unclear whether Kidd would have interest in leaving Dallas for New York — he did interview for the Knicks’ job in 2020 before Tom Thibodeau was hired, as Charania and MacMahon note.

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch is also part of a small group of head coaches already under contract whom the Knicks have interest in, according to Begley. It’s unclear if the Knicks plan to ask the Wolves about talking to Finch, but I can’t imagine Minnesota being very enthusiastic about the possibility.

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Following up on ESPN’s reporting about the Knicks dismissing Thibodeau after getting input from players, Begley notes that while that player input was a factor in the team’s decision, Knicks players were respectful of Thibodeau during their end-of-season exit meetings and have a “great deal of admiration” for him. They did point out during those meetings, however, that there were things Thibodeau did during his tenure that could be improved, Begley adds.
There will be plenty of Jalen Brunson-related subplots to monitor during the Knicks’ head coaching search, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post (subscription required). As Braziller observes, Brunson has blossomed into a star under Thibodeau and spoke highly of the veteran coach. It remains to be seen how much input the point guard might have in the team’s hiring decision and what the coaching change will mean for his father, assistant coach Rick Brunson.
The Knicks aren’t expected to make an immediate head coaching hire, a league source tells Steve Popper of Newsday, who details the pressure and expectations that Thibodeau’s replacement will face.
Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle, who is the president of the National Basketball Coaches Association, admitted this week that he was shocked by the Knicks’ decision to fire Thibodeau. “Thibs went in there and changed so much,” Carlisle said (Twitter link via Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star). “You look at all that and what happened yesterday. When I first saw it I thought it was one of those fake AI things, like, no way. No way possible.”

Latest On Thibodeau’s Firing, Knicks’ Coaching Search

June 5th, 2025 at 5:19pm CST by Arthur Hill

Knicks president Leon Rose and owner James Dolan met with several players and members of the coaching staff before making the decision to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau, sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. They were asked to provide input on the current state of the franchise following the loss to Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals and offer advice on what moves should be made next.

Shelburne hears that Thibodeau’s dismissal had been brewing for several months, sparked by a feeling that the team wasn’t reaching its full potential despite having Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns as All-NBA players. Shelburne’s sources said Rose became convinced that a new leader was needed after talking to the players and coaches, as he no longer had confidence that Thibodeau could guide the team to the NBA Finals.

“He got outcoached,” one league source told Shelburne. “The Game 1 collapse (in the Eastern Conference Finals) was insane. If they don’t have that collapse, who knows what happens.”

The Knicks led most of the way in the series opener and held a 14-point advantage with 2:50 remaining before Indiana staged a dramatic comeback behind a barrage of three-pointers. The Pacers also won Game 2 in New York, and the Knicks were never able to gain control of the series.

Shelburne points out that Thibodeau was second-guessed on several decisions he made against Indiana. Towns remained on the sidelines late in Game 2 as the team’s offense bogged down, and the decision to insert Mitchell Robinson into the starting lineup didn’t come until Game 3 when the Knicks were already in a desperate situation.

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Thibodeau’s insistence on giving a heavy workload to his starters was another factor in Rose’s decision, Shelburne adds. She notes that Brunson posted the highest usage rate of his career, with one source pointing out that he missed games this season due to ankle and calf injuries and raising concerns that he might eventually break down like Derrick Rose did while playing for Thibodeau in Chicago.
The Knicks will prioritize experience in hiring their next coach and won’t panic if a replacement isn’t found by the start of Summer League on July 10, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. Bondy examines the credentials of several candidates, stating that recently fired Kings coach Mike Brown and former Lakers and Kings coach Luke Walton were among the names he has heard recently. Bondy also mentions current Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd, who has been cited before as a potential target, but cautions that it’s not clear if Dallas would consider letting him go.
Kidd shouldn’t be dismissed as a candidate just because he’s under contract, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on the latest Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to Jared Schwartz of The New York Post). Kidd, who signed an extension with the Mavs last year, played for the Knicks during his final NBA season and has experience coaching Brunson. “I think it would be way too far to hint, suggest or any of that that J-Kidd is looking to get out of Dallas,” MacMahon said. “I think that would be not an accurate or fair thing to say. But if this opportunity were to present itself, I bet you his ears would perk up.”

Knicks Coaching Notes: Thibodeau, R. Brunson, Udoka, Hurley

June 4th, 2025 at 7:00pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Despite enjoying the most successful tenure of any Knicks head coach this century by a mile, Tom Thibodeau was relieved of his duties following a six-game Eastern Conference Finals defeat by Indiana.

According to Ian Begley and Alex Smith of SNY.tv, Thibodeau will not be given a role in president Leon Rose‘s front office going forward. The three-year, $30MM contract extension he inked with the team last summer has yet to kick in, but the team will simply eat that money.

Thibodeau brought the Knicks to four playoff appearances during his five seasons in charge, posting a 226-174 regular season record and a 24-23 playoff record.

There’s more out of New York:

In another SNY.tv story, Begley says he doesn’t believe the Knicks’ next head coach will be made to hold onto assistant Rick Brunson. However, Begley wonders if firing Brunson – the father of Jalen Brunson – might get the new coach’s relationship with the team’s All-NBA point guard on the wrong foot. The elder Brunson worked under Thibodeau throughout Thibs’ stint with the team.
Although Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has been floated as a possible next Knicks coach, a team source confirms to The Athletic’s Kelly Iko (via Twitter) that Houston does not intend to make him available. That’s also what Marc Stein reported when he first identified Udoka as someone who would be of interest to the Knicks.
Two-time champion UConn coach Dan Hurley has indicated he has no interest in taking the Knicks gig, per Dom Amore of The Hartford Courant. “Not another summer of that,” Hurley said, alluding to the Lakers’ 2024 pursuit of his services. Sources tell Dan Burges of The New Haven Register that the Huskies aren’t seriously worried about the possibility that Hurley would leave.

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