Mark Bryant will join the Knicks as an assistant coach, according to Ian Begley of SNY (Twitter link). The longtime NBA center is considered to be one of the NBA’s best coaches for big men, Begley adds.
Bryant, 59, spent last season as a member of Monty Williams’ staff in Detroit. He has also worked for Dallas, Orlando, Seattle/Oklahoma City and Phoenix since becoming a coach in 2004.
Starting center Mitchell Robinson, who was limited to 31 games last season due to injuries, should be among the biggest beneficiaries of having Bryant on the coaching staff. The Knicks are still exploring their options at backup center after losing Isaiah Hartenstein to the Thunder in free agency.
New York already has Othella Harrington serving as a big man coach, so it’s not clear how he and Bryant will split those duties, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. Lewis points out that Bryant worked in Oklahoma City with Maurice Cheeks, who joined the Knicks’ coaching staff last month, and he helped to develop newly acquired Mikal Bridges in Phoenix.
Bryant was known as one of the strongest men in the NBA, even after his playing days were over, tweets Fred Katz of The Athletic, who relays a story of Bryant’s battles in practice with former Thunder center Steven Adams.
The move is a homecoming for Bryant, who grew up in New Jersey and played at Seton Hall before beginning his NBA career. He was selected by Portland with the 21st pick in the 1988 draft and played for 10 teams in 15 seasons.
I hope he can help Mitch play 30 mins and 80gms. Getting stronger imo would help him. We need a dependable Mitch, consistency. Then add a decent backup C. Sign Achiuwa to roster. And I’m good.
We can go from there……
Maybe this is a precursor to the Knicks trading for one of Detroit’s big men; Stewart, Duren? Maybe a sign and trade Precious for Stewart. Stewart plays with a little more “edge” and toughness than Precious.
Stewart would make significantly more than Precious, which is the dealbreaker with a lot of these hypothetical deals. The numbers just don’t work unless you start giving up key pieces elsewhere and there’s little sense in doing that.
Plus, I don’t see the rush here as there’s always the trade deadline to work with. Roll with Precious and reassess everything after the new year.
Bryant was Seton Hall’s first big recruit of the PJ era. Unfortunately he ran out of eligibility before the year of the team’s final four run. Great to see him with the NYK. Still, I’d rather have the 30 year old version of him on the roster. His skill set would translate well to the modern game.
I want Precious back too but I honestly don’t think he wants to come back or he would have signed already. Either the Knicks never offered a deal or he’s waiting on a specific team to offer him a deal.
I think it’s more likely he’s just waiting on the Knicks while they scour the trade market for centers. They’re probably his best option for a payday bigger than the MLE and may be needed as a sign-and-trade piece to match for salary. Worst case scenario, they don’t find a trade to their liking and re-sign him to be that backup big.
Lol. These teams have fifteen Players in 10 coaches. Most of these people are given a job because they’re unemployed and they know someone. they’ll do nothing more than drive around the city, passing out free KNICKS merchandise talking to companies about buying sections of tickets. Nothing more, nothing less mark Bryant won’t see a practice.
Coaches work for Thibs. Theres plenty to do.