The New York Knicks are brimming with potential — on paper to start with. It has quite a lot to do with how their front office went on hyperdrive procuring talent in the offseason, not just to plug the gaps but to forge a side that would contend for the NBA championships. Conference bragging rights are passé. The Knicks want ’em rings.
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Their coaching staff, led by Tom Thibodeau, must be raring for the season to gather full steam. After all, they seem to be spoilt for choices when it comes to roster rotation and management. OG Anunoby is in for five more years through a hefty $212.5 million deal, they landed Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets (a blockbuster trade), and then came the massive Karl-Anthony Towns deal.
Last season, the Knicks (50-32) clinched the second seed in the Eastern Conference but fell in the second round of the playoffs to the Indiana Pacers. Injuries to key players — Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson and Anunoby brought about the premature downfall.
Coach Thibs and his staff have a roster now that can potentially match the big teams in the league. More importantly, the players are all healthy, barring Robinson. And, with the new signings, they have multiple options to plan for the season.
Provided the coaching staff also has the right talent in key positions.
Here is a look at the Knicks’ coaching staff:
Tom Thibodeau – Head Coach
A seasoned leader, the 2024-25 season isThibodeau’s 13th as an NBA head coach. Thibbs is one of the 11 coaches in NBA history to win the Coach of the Year award more than once — he received it twice including once with the Knicks in 2020-21. And, there is no doubt that is the reason behind the Knicks’ resurgence (175-143 record) the past four seasons.
Andy Greer – Assistant Coach
Andy Greer’s long and unbroken association with Thibodeau began in 2010-2015, when he served as an assistant coach at the Bulls. The HC, on his part, trusts Greer to be the primary go-to person when it comes to execution of long-term strategies, and in-game tactical changes.
Rick Brunson – Assistant Coach
Rick Brunson also has a personal connection in the roster, being the father of All-NBA guard Jalen Brunson, a key player for the Knicks. New York hired Rick in 2022. A month later, they finalized the contract to sign Jalen (a four-year $104 million deal).
The personal relationship with the side’s pivotal guard will augur well for the Knicks. Rick has also worked under Thibodeau before — between 2016 and 2019 at the Timberwolves.
Darren Erman – Assistant Coach
Thibodeau and Darren Erman go way back — to Boston in the early years of their coaching careers. The two served as assistant coaches under Doc Rivers. In 2008, Thibbs and Erman were part of the staff managing affairs at the sideline when Boston won their first championship of the new millennium.
Maurice Cheeks – Assistant Coach
Maurice Cheeks, an offseason signing, is the most recent addition to the Knicks coaching staff. He is coming off a four-year stint under Billy Donovan at the Bulls.
Cheeks, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, comes with a chequered career as a player. A championship-winning one that too, having been part of the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers side. That experience is something the Knicks would be keen to bank on.
Dice Yoshimoto – Assistant coach/Player Development
Dice Yoshimoto has shadowed Thibodeau every step of the way. Their partnership began in Chicago way back in 2011, where Yoshimoto’s career began as a video coordinator. The role evolved to a special assistant to the Head Coach at the Timberwolves as well as the first two seasons in New York. In 2022, he was promoted as an assistant coach with the role of handling the player development programme at the franchise.
Roger Hinds – Trainer
Roger Hinds was the strength and conditioning coach for the U.S. Olympic team which won gold at the Atlanta Games in 1996. The seasoned S&C coach, who now plays an Emeritus Role in the staff, joined the Knicks in 2005 as Head Athletic Trainer.
Anthony Goenaga – Trainer
Anthony Goenaga succeeded Hinds as the Head Athletic Trainer in 2020. He has done extensive work with the USA National Team, including a stint as personal trainer of Carmelo Anthony during the 2012 London Olympics.
