The Knicks were just granted permission to speak to Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Pablo Prigioni about a position on head coach Mike Brown's staff, according to a tweet from SNY's Ian Begley. Prigioni may be familiar to many fans, considering he played for the Knicks for two and a half seasons, from 2012-13 through part of the 2014-15 season.
Begley noted in his tweet that Prigioni is highly regarded in coaching circles. It would be a big addition to the Knicks' staff, if only considering that it is someone that Brown himself brings on board. It is important for coaches to be able to fill out their own staff, especially so in New York, where the organization has a history of its owner meddling in these sorts of decisions.
The news is a breath of fresh air for the Knicks
For the Knicks and their fans, the news is also a breath of fresh air. During the Knicks' high-profile search for their next head coach, they were denied left and right as they requested numerous organizations to speak to members of their staff.
It is clear Mike Brown wasn't their first choice, or even their second. They tried to pry Jason Kidd from the Mavericks, Ime Udoka from the Rockets, Chris Finch from the Timberwolves, Billy Donovan from the Bulls, and Quin Snyder from the Hawks before ultimately settling on Brown.
Their search for assistant coaches to fill out his staff has followed a similar path. Brown's top choice for an assistant was reportedly James Borrego from the New Orleans Pelicans. However, the Pelicans also denied the Knicks from speaking with their up-and-coming coach.
So, the fact that the Timberwolves have even granted the Knicks access is a step in the right direction, at least.
Prigioni has been an offensive-minded coach in Minnesota
Prigioni has been with the Timberwolves since the 2019-20 season and has spent at least two seasons as the offensive coordinator with the team, according to basketball-reference.com.
According to a 2024 profile from the Minn Post, Prigioni was credited with being in "charge of the execution of the sets and play calls." Adding someone who can increase the Knicks' percentage of organized offense would be extremely valuable to a team that sometimes tended to defer for lots of stagnant offense and isolation ball in the last few years.
It has also been reported that several coaches from Tom Thibodeau's staff last season will be staying on board with Brown this year.