PHOENIX — Jalen Brunson declined to touch upon NBA opinions father’s promotion and contract as a possible wage cap circumvention, however the level guard definitely had a message for anybody who questioned Rick Brunson’s teaching credentials.
“He’s greater than certified for this place,” Jalen Brunson mentioned Wednesday morning.
“He is an individual who has been within the NBA for a very long time, who’s within the enterprise [Tom Thibodeau] longer than he is been within the NBA. I feel he understands the enterprise, I feel he understands the sport, I feel he understands the top coach. He’s due to this fact greater than certified. Take a look at the way in which he taught and raised me and the way I noticed him affect others at each degree of basketball – highschool, school, skilled.
Late Monday evening, the Knicks launched an announcement condemning the NBA for investigating Rick’s promotion to senior assistant.
The hypothesis is that the NBA was exploring the chance that the wage enhance was tied to Jalen’s contract extension throughout the identical offseason.
If this had been the case, some argue that this can be a circumvention of the cap.
However MSG Sports activities known as the NBA’s considerations “offensive,” noting that former prime assistant Johnnie Bryant left his job going to Cleveland and that Rick Brunson, an NBA assistant for 10 seasons on 5 groups ( together with three with Thibodeau). , “has accomplished an amazing job and can proceed to take action.”
“We view this as additional harassment of the Knicks on account of our opposition to sure NBA points,” MSG Sports activities concluded in its assertion, a reference to James Dolan’s continued opposition to commissioner Adam Silver.
Jalen mentioned the NBA has not contacted him about his father, though a league supply mentioned the Knicks have been contacted.
A league spokesperson declined to remark.
Jalen all the time thought of his father crucial individual in his basketball improvement, together with Rick’s profitable efforts to show his son right into a southpaw, from the second he first performed on a Little Tikes hoop.
“He’s helped me work on my recreation since I informed him I wished to be an expert basketball participant,” mentioned Jalen, a pure right-hander who shoots left. “Whether or not I used to be offended, completely happy, no matter, he would all the time ask me earlier than and after each exercise, ‘Is that this what you wish to do in life?’ And the reply was all the time: “Sure”.
“He pushes me every single day and he nonetheless does.”
Rick has been an assistant within the NBA, NCAA and head coach at Camden Excessive College, the place he received the 2022 New Jersey Match of Champions.
Earlier than that, Rick was an NBA journeyman for 9 seasons, together with three with the Knicks, whereas Thibodeau was an assistant below Jeff Van Gundy.
He was employed as an assistant for the Knicks that very same season. Jalen joined the crew as a free agent in 2022.
Former Mavs proprietor Mark Cuban singled out Rick as the explanation why Jalen didn’t re-sign with Dallasclaiming that negotiations “went downhill when Rick took over.”
Rick lately responded by saying the Mavericks selected to not re-sign his son once they had the prospect and made “a enterprise resolution” to let him enter free company.
“I didn’t get entangled; I used to be concerned,” the elder Brunson mentioned. “He’s my son. …I’m a father first, then a coach.
After a 2022 NBA investigation into Jalen’s signing, the Knicks had been discovered responsible of tampering and compelled to forfeit a second-round choose.
Most lately, Rick made headlines throughout a verbal alternate with Donte DiVincenzothe previous Knick returned to the Backyard in preseason with the Timberwolves.
Rick mentioned the 2 shortly made amends.
