Rick Brunson Will Have Lesser Role With Knicks Under Mike Brown

According to NBA insider Stefan Bondy of The New York Post, Rick Brunson will have a lesser role with the New York Knicks under new head coach Mike Brown. 

Rick is the father of Knicks All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson. 

“Mike Brown is expected to hire a new associate head coach, The Post has learned, a move that will change the dynamics in the front of the Knicks bench by giving Rick Brunson a lesser role,” Bondy wrote. “It’s viewed as a gesture by the organization to give Brown more control while simultaneously addressing the distractions or perceptions of conflicts of interest that arose last season by having the star player’s father as the top assistant.

“Rick Brunson is said to be on board with the demotion. ‘This is what’s best for the organization and the players,’ a source said.”

The Knicks made the conference finals last season for the first time since 2000. They lost to the Indiana Pacers in six games. 

New York fired Tom Thibodeau as head coach after the Indiana series. Thibodeau was hired by the Knicks in 2020. He went 226-174 in the regular season and 24-23 in the postseason and won the 2021 NBA Coach of the Year Award. 

Brown has coached the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings. He is 454-304 in the regular season and 50-40 in the playoffs.