The Knicks accused the NBA of retaliatory “harassment” amid the league’s rumored investigation into Rick Brunson’s promotion to lead assistant.
“Brunson took Johnnie Bryant’s place and assumed the same salary as Bryant,” MSG Sports said in a statement. “It’s offensive that anyone would claim Rick didn’t deserve the promotion, Rick has done a tremendous job and will continue to do so. We see this as more harassment of the Knicks due to our opposition to certain NBA matters.”
Brunson was promoted this season after his son, Jalen, signed a contract extension that’s been celebrated as team friendly because the point guard could’ve earned much more by waiting until free agency.
Hence the idea that Rick got a pay raise to help make up for whatever money Jalen left on the table. Such a maneuver would be cap circumvention.
Still, as MSG noted in its statement, Rick has been an assistant for many years on five different NBA teams. It’s not like he was plucked out of obscurity to become the top assistant. He was also a lower-level Knicks assistant the previous two seasons.
Bryant was the Knicks associate head coach for four seasons before taking the same position on the Cavaliers last offseason.
The NBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment. SNY first reported Monday night the league was “poking around” on potential infractions involving Brunson’s promotion, prompting the statement from MSG Sports.
As previously reported, the NBA and its commissioner, Adam Silver, have been butting heads with Knicks owner James Dolan over multiple issues.
The most prominent are Dolan’s disapproval of revenue sharing and the new NBA media rights deal, prompting the billionaire to write in a memo to the other owners, “Pride of ownership is what is sacrificed. We are well on our way to becoming a one size fits all, characterless organization. Just remember we did this on the backs of owners like Jerry Buss.”
In a separate NBA investigation concerning Jalen Brunson’s free agency signing, the Knicks were found guilty of tampering and forced to give up a second-round pick.
