The New York Knicks are on the verge of adding Tom Thibodeau’s most trusted guys Andy Greer and Dice Yoshimoto, along with former Knicks coach Mike Woodson according to multiple reports.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news.
The Knicks are finalizing deals for Mike Woodson, Andy Greer and Dice Yoshimoto to join Tom Thibodeau’s staff as assistant coaches, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) August 28, 2020
Greer and Yoshimoto are no strangers to Thibodeau. They have been with him since his first head coaching gig in Chicago.
Greer, who recently served as Mike Fratello’s assistant on the USA Olympic Qualifying Team, has been Thibodeau’s defensive coordinator in both Chicago and Minnesota.
Greer and Thibodeau have gone a long way since working together under Jeff Van Gundy’s staff and later on under Don Chaney in New York in the early 2000s.
Greer served as Thibodeau’s defensive coordinator in his last two stops while Yoshimoto has been a “swiss knife” starting out as video coordinator in Chicago and later on becoming a special assistant to the president of basketball operations in Minnesota. Yoshimoto has also been involved with the University of Georgia as director of basketball strategy and video.
Woodson, meanwhile, has interviewed for the head coaching post, which eventually went to Thibodeau. He’s built a reputation in New York as a modern offensive coach who demanded accountability. He’s been the last successful Knicks coach in almost two decades.
During the Knicks’ run to the Eastern Conference semifinals in 2012-13 season, he guided the team to the third-best offensive rating at 111.1. He was also ahead of the curve as he relied on 3-point shooting to surround Carmelo Anthony. They led the league in both attempts and made 3-pointers per game while ranking fifth in percentage.
After being fired by Phil Jackson the following year, he went on to serve as an assistant coach in the Los Angeles Clippers from 2014-2018. Prior to coaching the Knicks, he was the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks from 2004-2010, guiding the team to three consecutive playoff appearances.
The three new assistants will join Kenny Payne and associate head coach Jonnie Bryant under Thibodeau in New York.