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The Knicks still have another critical hire to make in the front office. Craig Robinson left the organization, a league source confirmed, to take over as the executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Robinson had been the Knicks’ VP of player development since 2017, when he was hired by former president Steve Mills.
Craig Robinson, who served as the Knicks' vice president of player development and general manager of the G League’s Westchester Knicks since 2017, has accepted a position as executive director for the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Robinson was not expected to remain with the Knicks, having been brought on by Steve Mills, who was dismissed earlier this year. The contracts of Robinson and most of the front-office personnel are expiring shortly.
Stefan Bondy: Nothing official but multiple sources have said Knicks front office members Craig Robinson, Gerald Madkins and Harold Ellis will not be retained.
According to a source, Craig Robinson, the current Knicks’ vice president of player development, has already had his responsibilities cut. Robinson, who is Michelle Obama’s brother, was hired by his Princeton buddy Steve Mills to oversee a comprehensive player development initiative.
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Blatt, who has a strong relationship with team president Steve Mills and VP of player development Craig Robinson, is not expected to assist with the coaching staff. "David Blatt is a great basketball mind and we look forward to adding him to the organization," Mills and Knicks general manager Scott Perry said in a statement released by the team. "He will be a great asset to our front office, G League team and international scouting."
Malika Andrews: The Knicks announce they have hired David Blatt as a basketball operations consultant. pic.twitter.com/m7Z7JVQD5U
The Knicks announce they have hired David Blatt as a basketball operations consultant. pic.twitter.com/m7Z7JVQD5U
— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) December 18, 2019
The vexing issue facing the three-headed brain trust of Steve Mills, Scott Perry and Craig Robinson is not just who is the starting point guard of the present — Burke, Emmanuel Mudiay or Frank Ntilikina. It’s who — if any of the lottery trio — should be the PG of the future. “Trey’s about to make the staff and management have some decisions to make,” an NBA personnel director said.
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Robinson is another longshot Knicks candidate, according to a team source. The former Oregon State head coach — and brother of former First Lady Michelle Obama — currently serves as the Knicks’ VP of player and organization development.
The offseason will be important for the Knicks, and for Craig Robinson to implement his vision and plan to transform their players. Hired last August to be the Knicks vice president of player development and G League operations, Robinson said he really “didn’t get going until training camp” and that “the bulk of the development is done by then.” That was Robinson’s way of saying give it time before you judge him and his work.
Robinson wouldn’t reveal specifics or give “the special sauce” of his developmental approach that he called “innovative” and “transformative.” But Robinson has little doubt it will work if the players put in the work. “What you’ll see when they come back next year there will have been some growth,” Robinson said. “Without deciding what that will be, look at every aspect of their development. Look at ballhandling, the strength and conditioning, look at shooting, looking at medical, his ability to play more minutes. That’s how you’ll be able to tell what he’s doing is working. It won’t be just because he’s making more shots. It’s a holistic approach. You’ll see our players getting better in the quantitative stuff in making shots and being able to play longer. But I think you’ll also see confidence and basketball IQ and able to handle different situations better.”
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