The Knicks have not had a permanent head coach in more than six months but have narrowed their search to a list of nine which includes former Victoria Titans/Giants big man Jamahl Mosley.
Mosley, who averaged 16 points and 8 rebounds in 62 NBL games has been added to a list which includes Tom Thibodeau, Kenny Atkinson, Ime Udoka and Mike Woodson and Mike Miller, who has served as the Knicks’ interim head coach this season since David Fizdale was dismissed which the team will chose a new head coach from.
Mixtape Monday or should that be #KnicksTape Monday?
— The NBL (@NBL) June 22, 2020
Former Titans and Giants import and current @dallasmavs assistant coach Jamahl Mosley will be interviewed for the @nyknicks head coaching job 👀#NBLxNBA @Ballislife pic.twitter.com/2sS8SHmb1V
Mosley currently is an assistant with the Dallas Mavericks and has part of the Mavericks coaching staff for six seasons. Mosley’s is a key voice in Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle’s ear as far as in-game decisions and is considered to have strong skills in interpreting analytics.
For the last two seasons, Mosley was in charge of Dallas’ defense and had a key role in developing former Maverick Dennis Smith Jr., who is now part of the Knicks roster via the Kristaps Porzingis trade.
Mosley was head coach of the Mavericks summer league team which included Smith and was a key part of the young guards development at the Mavs.
“I saw the fact that he recognizes things that he needs to improve on,” Mosley said about Smith’s summer league performance in 2018.
“We watched a little bit of film and he understood where, ‘OK, maybe I should move the ball here, in this situation. Maybe I should slow it down and call a play here.’ He did a very good job of recognizing where he can lead and where he can take a backseat. I think that’s continued growth in him.”
Mosley was very close to being named the Cleveland Cavaliers head coach in 2019 and will be one of five assistant coaches with no head-coaching experience whom Knicks rookie president Leon Rose will interview for the role. Mosley also spent four seasons with the Cavaliers as an assistant coach from 2010 to 2014.
He got his start in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets, working in player development and advance scouting before moving into a role as an assistant coach in 2007.
Mosley has also spent time with Team USA. In the summer of 2018, Mosley served as an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich at the USA Basketball minicamp.
Mosley formed a powerful one-two punch playing alongside NBL legend Darryl McDonald at Victoria from 2001-03. He won the NBL’s Sixth Man of the Year award in 2002 before playing one year in Spain with Baloncesto Leon and one year in Korea.
Mosley then moved into coaching when he accepted the Assistant Coach/Player Development role with Denver at 28 years of age.