Rick Brunson Will Have Lesser Role With New York Knicks Under New Coach Mike Brown

New York Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson‘s father, Rick Brunson, will have a lesser role next NBA season under new head coach Mike Brown.

According to Stefan Bondy of The New York Post, Rick is no longer the Knicks’ associate head coach.

“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 shockingly 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 playoffs and won the 2021 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 postseason. 

The Knicks’ roster is headlined by Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Mitchell Robinson.

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