The Nets have added Igor Kokoškov, Adam Caporn and Trevor Hendry as assistant coaches on Steve Nash‘s staff, per a team press release.
Kokoškov has extensive NBA experience, having served as an assistant coach for 20 years with the Clippers, Pistons, Suns, Cavs, Magic, Jazz, Kings, and most recently with the Mavericks last season. He was the head coach of the Suns for one season, in 2018/19.
In addition to his NBA coaching jobs, Kokoškov has also led the Georgian, Slovenian and Serbian national teams. He was the head coach of Turkish club Fenerbahçe in ’20/21. Marc Stein reported last month that Kokoškov was expected to join Brooklyn.
Caporn was the head coach of Brooklyn’s G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, last season. A native of Australia, Caporn played college ball at Saint Mary’s before joining the NBL for six seasons as a pro. He has extensive experience in player development and is currently an assistant with the Australian national team, helping the Boomers win a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics last summer.
Hendry has been the Nets’ head video coordinator for the past four seasons. He’s been with the organization since 2014, serving in a variety of roles in the basketball operations department prior to becoming video coordinator.
Here’s more from New York:
- Knicks guard Quentin Grimes has a simple goal for Las Vegas Summer League, writes Zach Braziller of The New York Post. “Really come out here and dominate,” Grimes said after the team’s first practice at Cox Pavillion. “I feel like I played well last year. Just coming in this year being a second-year guy, I know what to expect, I know how the games are. Just go out there and try to dominate every time offensively and defensively.” The 25th pick of the 2021 draft, Grimes averaged 6 PPG and 2 RPG while shooting 38.1% from three-point range and playing solid defense in 46 games (17.1 MPG) as a rookie last season. Grimes dealt with a dislocated knee cap towards the end of last season, but he says he’s fully healthy now, per Braziller.
- Fred Katz and Law Murray of The Athletic take a look at what the Knicks can expect from center Isaiah Hartenstein, who agreed to a two-year, $16.7MM deal with New York in free agency. A strong passer and play-maker, Hartenstein could unlock easy baskets for players like Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, Evan Fournier and RJ Barrett, according to Murray, who says Hartenstein was underutilized offensively by the Clippers last season. Although he isn’t the most athletic player, Murray notes that Hartenstein rotates well on defense and uses his length to effectively defend the paint. Hartenstein posted impressive per-36 averages of 1.5 steals and 2.3 blocks per game last season.
- Signing Jalen Brunson is a make-or-break move for Leon Rose‘s tenure as president of basketball operations, argues Ian Begley of SNY.tv. Begley details Rose’s 2021 offseason moves, which were considered low-risk at the time, yet the Knicks were forced to package various draft assets to move off the salaries of Kemba Walker, Nerlens Noel and Alec Burks in order to create cap space to sign Brunson. Sources tell Begley that one rival team was willing to trade a second-rounder to acquire Burks, but the Knicks ended up giving away two second-round picks and $6MM to Detroit to move Burks and Noel. Rose’s CAA connections haven’t led to sustained success to this point, per Begley, and signing Brunson needs to work out considering all the assets the Knicks gave up.
- Part of the reason Brunson decided to sign with the Knicks is because he thought he’d have a better chance at becoming an All-Star in the East than the West, Marc Stein writes in his latest article for Substack. As Stein relays, Brunson is the first player in league history to receive a nine-figure contract from a new club without making an All-Star team, per ESPN Stats & Info (Twitter link).
Brunson is make or break for this regime. But not because we gave up a couple of 2nd round picks and cash to clear the cap space. More about the salary commitment being sufficient to preclude another solution on the point for at least a couple of years, and this regime is already in year 3. Brunson doesn’t have to be an All Star to play to this contract (which is good, since I doubt he becomes one). But he has to be a solid to high level starter at the PG spot that his teammates look to organize and lead the team. He can’t just be one more option at PG (like Rose, IQ and McBride).
I wouldn’t have gone in this direction, and let the guys they have battle it out over the course of the season. Nevertheless, it’s not a bad signing. Fit is good to great, and the price was reasonable. There’s a lot to like about Brunson as a player. He’s a IQ player with a flexible skill set. He’s comfortable leading a team, and has shown an ability to play well under pressure going back to college.
Grimes was very close on two occasions last year to winning the starting job, being derailed first by Covid and then by a dislocated knee cap. I’d love to see him take the wing spot opposite Barrett.
I’m probably more excited to see the Knicks backup rotation than I am of the starting five. IQ, Grimes, Reddish, Toppin, and Hartenstein, if that’s who it ends up being, could be a fun group. Rose is probably in there before IQ or Grimes, though.
Regardless, it will beat watching Randle chuck up 20′ jumpers with a hand in his face after dribbling it for 10 seconds.
Grimes is likely to start to sure up the defense. Fournier is going to be a beast unleashed as the 6th man. If D Rose is healthy enough to play the 2nd unit may the best in the NBA next year.
They talk about giving up players for salary. But we signed Brunson a starting PG. And a solid backup Center who we can easily trade if needed. Gave up two and signed two. No comparison here.
Brunson won’t succeed with Tandle still on team. They better wake up and move him. Can’t start the season with him.
This #8 J.Williams (Sant Clara) that OKC selected with the Knicks pick is pretty pretty good in SL… I don’t know if this roster will click but this PO year made that team ahead of its schedule and with Léon Rose and Thibs you are mostly building with FA waiting that an available star believes in this project… so it must be a transition year to consolidate this project.
JDub looks fantastic. Have to like what the Thunder have done and clearly they have a plan and the Knucks are helping them! As for the Knucks and Ruse, it started with the genius move of selecting Toppin over Halliburton, the brilliant extensions of Noel, Burks, Rose, the incredible signings of Walker and Fournier and the slick Draft moves to sign Brunson. Let’s go Thunder!