Knicks' Jalen Brunson gives hysterical response to shock report about dad's coaching future in New York
The point guard's father, Rick, has been an assistant coach for the team since 2022 - the same summer that his son went to New York in free agency.
However, the Knicks fired head coach Tom Thibodeau last month, and it is not uncommon for assistants to be let go along with their former bosses.
And while the Knicks have yet to settle on a new head coach, it looks as if the elder Brunson will be sticking around regardless.
Veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein wrote in his Stein Line substack that Rick was expected to remain part of the Knicks' staff - as well as other 'key holdovers' from Thibodeau's staff.
And Brunson had a humorous reaction to that news.
'WHAT?!,' the Knicks star sarcastically wrote on X in response to the report.
Brunson enjoys a close relationship with his dad, who is known to have coached him with some tough love during his younger years.
However, some fans believe it's time to move on from Rick.
'This is not how a healthy team operates. For all the success of the Leon Rose era, nepotism and cronyism are a big part of what will eventually be his legacy,' one said on X. 'Hate rooting for a team that employs Rick Brunson.
'I genuinely think making Rick Brunson stay on the coaching staff has a trickle down effect,' another said.
Last month, Sam Amico reported for Hoops Wire that multiple Knicks players have been unhappy with Rick's presence on staff.
The report did not specify what the specific issue with Rick was, though sources suggested to the publication that Rick 'has had too big a say in things.'
Following their first run to the conference finals in 25 years, the Knicks are in the market for a new head coach - and the conclusion of that hunt seems to be getting nearer.
According to multiple reports, former Cavs, Lakers and Kings coach Mike Brown has emerged as the favorite for the job.
Brown is reportedly set to undergo a second interview for the role, while former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins has also interviewed for the job.
The 55-year-old Brown was fired by the Kings after a 13-18 start to last season - which followed two straight years of 46-plus wins for the struggling Sacramento franchise.
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Fisher is short – way short – and that will mean digging deep into his own pockets and risking his family wealth for a project that makes little fiscal sense to anyone analyzing in good faith. The A's are valued at roughly $1.7bn, close to the recent Baltimore Orioles sale, but the latter actually have a major-league park to play in. The A's stadium could cost over a billion of Fisher's own money, and so there are serious doubts as to whether this venue will actually happen. Are there contractor deals done? Has a memorandum of understanding, outlining financial obligations, outlining the intentions and expectations of the parties involved, actually been written? 'Fisher has to realize he's a dead man walking,' Bradbury says. 'And he is sort of trying to play out the string to save as much face as he can. And what's eventually going to happen is someone will come in and be the savior. And that may involve not being in Las Vegas.' 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Not to mention that players are already fed up with their substandard ballpark. Bradbury speculates that with all the bad will surrounding the club, they could wind up in Salt Lake City or elsewhere next season. So now Fisher is, and let's say it politely, disliked, in multiple cities. And should the stadium deal in Las Vegas unravel, it would make for a unique trifecta. That leads to the final question. Why? Why would a billionaire go through all these trials and travails for a move that seemingly doesn't add up, practically or fiscally? We know the then-Oakland A's needed some sort of stadium deal in place by 2024 in order to keep their slice of MLB's revenue sharing stream, but that doesn't begin to explain it. 'This is the dog catching the car,' DeMause says. 'And now that he has caught the car, I don't think he had any idea what to do with it. He switched up on stadium sites [in Las Vegas] in a matter of 24 hours. He did not have a plan for where to play once Oakland kicked him out, even though he didn't have a lease. It either didn't occur to him or he figured he would figure it out later.' The case against Fisher is damning, yet instead of selling and walking away with a tidy profit, he soldiers on. Is it a case of a wealthy team owner thoroughly enjoying the attention of desert-based suitors after years of combat with Oakland's leaders? Is it a case of an heir on a quest to prove to someone, maybe himself, that he has the chops to pull something like this off? DeMause believes it's all possible, but offers up a simpler explanation. 'It's very, very clear: he's really bad at this.'
