Former Knicks Guard Calls For Assistant Coach's Promotion

Brunson, of course, is the father of Knicks captain and All-Star Jalen. Both Brunsons received promotions over the offseason, as Rick took over the associate head coach spot vacated by Cleveland-bound Johnnie Bryant while Jalen was granted the team captaincy previously held by Willis Reed, Patrick Ewing and others.

Shumpert's suggestion came despite a report from Sam Amico of Hoops Wire claiming that players came to be unhappy with Rick Brunson on the bench, claiming that they felt he had "too big a say in things."

The elder Brunson's presence in New York has carried a hint of controversy: the Dallas Mavericks accused the Knicks of tampering when hiring him to the departed Tom Thibodeau's staff shortly before Jalen signed with the team in 2022 and a subsequent NBA investigation eventually removed a second-round draft pick from the Knicks' arsenal.

In November, the NBA launched a brief inquiry into Rick's promotion to top assistant, hinting that his new title was a de facto kickback for Jalen's famously discounted contract extension with the Knicks. A statement from MSG Sports labeled the accusation "offensive" and its subsequent investigation as "harassment of the Knicks due to [their] opposition to certain NBA matters."

ESPN insider Brian Windhorst stated that the next Knicks coach "has to be a guy who has the respect of the locker room immediately," a requirement that both he and Shumpert felt Rick Brunson carried.

"[They're] a veteran team that is designed to win now," Windhorst said of the Knicks. "Rick is a guy who would have the respect of the team, but I think it's going to be somebody who would walk in with that."