The Knicks confirmed Kenny Payne as the first addition to Tom Thibodeau’s new coaching staff, who chased John Calipari’s longtime right-hand man and brought him from Kentucky to the Garden.
“I’m glad Kenny has joined my staff as an assistant coach. “He has an excellent ability to forge relationships with players and improve their skills,” Thibodeau said in a statement. ‘He knows what it takes to win and has learned from one of the best coaches out there in John Calipari. Kenny will be a great addition to our organization. ”
Payne had spent the past decade under – and winning with – Calipari, being promoted to head coach in 2014 and helping the Wildcats 38-0 after the first season in the history of basketball just a year later.
But the 53-year-old also has long-standing relationships with not only Knicks president Leon Rose but senior vice president William Wesley.
Rose was Calipari’s agent at CAA, where Wesley also worked. And Payne’s ties with “World Wide West” stretched back decades, all the way back to his days playing for Louisville.
“I’m now taking the next step in my basketball career and pursuing my dream of coaching in the NBA,” Payne said in a statement. ‘I am extremely grateful and excited for the opportunity to work for such a prestigious organization as the New York Knicks led by Leon Rose, Scott Perry, William Wesley and Tom Thibodeau, for whom I have such great admiration and respect. ha for.
“This decision was not easy for me. I have a great job at Kentucky, and thinking about leaving was one of the hardest things I have ever done. But I’m also been offered an incredible opportunity with the New York Knicks and an opportunity to recover what I believe should be the main organization in the NBA. “
Submit your Knicks questions here to answer in an upcoming Mailbox
During his time in Kentucky, Payne helped nine great men become lottery picks, including top general picks Anthony Davis and Karl-Anthony Towns.
He coached Knicks Julius Randle and Kevin Knox, and will be reunited with them in the Garden. Calipari threw over his former associate head coach, saying Payne will be the key in developing all the Knicks and an asset to Thibodeau’s staff.
“This is a bitter day for us in Kentucky,” Calipari said. “Kenny has been a very important part of our success here. His relationship with our players is without a doubt. He coaches them and challenges them as hard as anyone, but they respect him, they listen to him and they learn from him because they know he is interested. As a basketball coach and teacher, he was able to run every program in the country. Simply put, he is as good as they get.
“I was disappointed that Kenny did not get that chance, but this is one of the opportunities that Kenny had to look at, and I fully support his decision to join Tom Thibodeau’s staff. Kenny’s approach with his players, his knowledge of and his experience in the game, and his work ethic will serve him well on a professional level. I have high expectations for him in the NBA. For Julius Randle and Kevin Knox, it will be immediate, but if other players know and trust him, they will know he is about one thing: their improvement and their success. I have no doubt that Kenny will be a great asset to Thibodeau’s staff. “
.
