Updates on Pablo Prigioni and the Knicks continued efforts to fill out Mike Brown’s staff

The assistant coach search is proving to be just as slow, and filled with no’s as the head coach search was

Last week, Knicks fans were elated to hear that New York was granted permission to speak with former Knick Pablo Prigioni to join Mike Brown’s staff. Prigioni, who became the oldest rookie in league history when he joined the Knicks in 2012, was a fan favorite largely due to his selfless play and effort. And his addition to Brown’s staff would’ve been a homerun hire given both his popularity and proven ability to put together an organized offense focused on spacing, shooting, and ball movement-something that the Knicks, and Brown, look to capitalize on. Prigioni has declined the opportunity, though, citing family reasons.

So, where will the Knicks’ search take them next? New York will now reportedly turn their focus to another former Knick. Clippers assistant coach Brendan O’Connor, who has worked under both Ty Lue and Doc Rivers in Los Angeles, and also coached in New York under Larry Brown in the 05-06 season, seems to be the Knicks’ next target. O’Connor is a defensive expert and would bring some much-needed wisdom on that side of the ball.

Regardless of what happens with O’Connor, though, it has been rumored that the Knicks will continue to look for more help on the offensive side. How many more assistant coaches, and who they’ll be, remains in question. Still, it’s becoming apparent that between the hiring of Brown and the assistants they’ve targeted, New York believes Tom Thibodeau didn’t optimize the offense, and wants to make that more of a priority heading into next season.