Jalen Brunson and the Knicks are coming off a disappointing end to an entertaining series in the Eastern Conference Finals with Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers. They lost 108-125 in Game 6 to close off their season. Following this game, reports claimed that the Knicks are planning a massive overhaul of the entire roster, and everyone, including Brunson, is involved in making a major change for the team.
From the reports of internal frustrations with Karl-Anthony Towns to Tom Thibodeau losing his job as the head coach, the Knicks felt the pressure after the loss. Following Thibodeau’s parting ways with the Knicks, a report claimed another internal conflict for the Knicks. And that was centred around Rick Brunson, who is an assistant coach for the Knicks and the father of their superstar, Jalen Brunson. According to the report:
“Multiple Knicks players have been unhappy with the presence of assistant coach Rick Brunson, the father of star guard Jalen Brunson. What that issue is, exactly, has not been determined, though sources suggested that Rick has had too big a say in things.”
“One source called Rick the person with the most power in the entire organization. His status is uncertain following Thibodeau’s dismissal, though considering he’s Jalen’s dad, many assume Rick will remain with the team in some capacity.”
This report was authored by Sam Amico of the Hoops Wire, the senior NBA writer who is also a very reliable source of information. Are the Knicks planning to get rid of Brunson’s dad? We’ll find out soon, but uncertainty remains until then. Did the Knicks really implode instead of exploding? Seems like they caused their own downfall.
Rick Brunson’s Role In Jalen Brunson Joining The Knicks
This is not the first time Jalen Brunson’s dad, Rick, has caused problems for an NBA team. He seemed to be partly the reason why Jalen Brunson left the Mavericks to join the Knicks. After his exit from the Mavericks, the former owner Mark Cuban called him out indirectly.
“Things went south when the parents got involved,” Cuban said regarding the situation of Brunson not signing an extension with the Mavericks. Rick Brunson clapped back at these comments from Cuban.
“Let’s make it very clear: It wasn’t the parents; it was me. And I didn’t get involved; I’ve been involved,” Brunson said on The Roommates Show podcast. “It’s my son. I’m a coach first. Well, I’m a father first, then a coach. I understand the business. Mark, Rick Carlisle, Jason Kidd, love him. They did great by him. It was a business decision on their part, and we accepted that.”
Cuban then appeared on the same podcast with Jalen Brunson and issued an apology to his father.
“I didn’t want to go there here, right, but it wasn’t a jab at all,” Cuban said initially. “There’s no reason for us to talk about any of that stuff, but it wasn’t just a jab, JB. For real.”
“I apologize. If it put you in a certain way, that wasn’t the intention. But it was hard to deal with. It was a unique negotiation in a lot of different ways,” Cuban said. “There’s definitely no hard feelings at all, but it was always interesting when your dad and I walked by each other, you know. It’s just like, he’d give me the eye, I’d give him the eye. Then we’d smile and keep on walking. But all’s well that ends well.”
Jalen Brunson averaged 11.9 points, 3.7 assists, and 3.0 rebounds in 277 games in his first 4 seasons when he played for the Mavericks. Brunson averaged 26.4 points, 6.7 assists, and 3.4 rebounds in 210 games since he joined the Knicks.
While he undoubtedly took the superstar leap with New York, imagine if he still played in Dallas with Doncic and Porzingis. That would be a 60-win team easily. Cuban said, “all’s well that ends well,” but it looks like things won’t end well for the elder Brunson in New York. While his future remains uncertain, it’s clear that with Thibodeau’s exit from the team, Brunson will have to reevaluate his choices, too.
