Rumors

Andy Greer and Rick Brunson are Thibodeau loyalists and have been with him for years. Brunson, especially, is his muscle, someone who will say whatever he believes with vigor behind it. Darren Erman has been in New York since Thibodeau took over. Mo Cheeks is joining the staff for this season. He and Thibodeau have never before worked together, but Cheeks is a Hall of Fame player, a veteran assistant with head-coaching experience and, more relevant to this topic, a longtime friend of Thibodeau. In some ways, the answer to this question may be Dice Yoshimoto, a second-row coach without the résumés of the aforementioned but who sticks to Thibodeau like glue. Yoshimoto was a video coordinator for Thibodeau in Chicago and went with him to Minnesota before taking an assistant job under him in New York. During the year Thibodeau took off between the Timberwolves and Knicks, he got Yoshimoto a job at University of Georgia, working for Thibodeau’s friend, Tom Crean.

New York Times

Crean added that gradual team success with the Timberwolves over the past few years after being in a rebuild has only accelerated Edwards’ progression. “What he’s done is he’s taken that work, it’s built his confidence, he’s had some success, and he sniffed winning last year, and then this past season, he really got a great big dose of it. I think that’s what he needed. He needed to sense it and sniff it a little bit that year before, which propelled him into this year. I think it’s going to, or this past season, and I think it’s going to take him even further this coming year.”

essentiallysports.com

Regardless, Crean feels Edwards is more than ready for these big moments. “He can play at different speeds… The other thing he can see is so well, right? If he sees that double or if he sees that trap, now he’s got to be stronger with his passes, and he’s got to be a little bit better with his decision-making from watching these exhibitions, but he can make those passes, and he will make those passes,” Crean explained. “I think when you have that, that, that, he just, there’s so many different things they can do with him. But he’s not afraid of the big moment either. And I think that that’s going to help them at some point in time as well.”

essentiallysports.com

“Anthony is a very open-minded guy. He really is. I think he lets you know that he wants to get better by how you see his work and how he approaches things. With greats like that, it’s very easy to like him. He’s a very likable person. He’s very competitive. He’s very confident, but he’s not standoffish.”

essentiallysports.com

“OG is extremely excited,” his former Indiana coach Tom Crean told NJ Advance Media ahead of Wednesday’s NBA Draft. “If he was ever going to leave Toronto he wanted it to be New York and the Knicks and I know he truly wanted to stay here after his short time this past season.”

Newark Star-Ledger

Over the past two seasons, the Nets have received calls from a multitude of teams gauging Brooklyn’s interest in trading with Claxton, who has been viewed as the team’s potential center of the future. “I think Claxton has a ton of value around the league, especially on the defensive end,” a second NBA executive told HoopsHype. “I think his ability to handle the ball is unique for someone his size. That’s the way Tom Crean used him at Georgia. I think he’s got more upside on the offensive end.”

HoopsHype

Dwyane Wade: He can be better. America here is your number 1 pick! Ayo @VicOladipo we’re all built from the same cloth Flexed biceps That Tom Crean cloth!

Twitter

Adrian Wojnarowski: Nets plan to keep Claxton, who made remarkable improvement under Tom Crean at Georgia last season.

Twitter

Marc Weiszer: Asked UGA's Nicolas Claxton if he may test the NBA draft waters. Will he talk to his father about it? "We don't know yet," he said. Coach Tom Crean said: "I'm in a great place with Nic. We'll just ride all of that out."

Twitter

Dwyane Wade: I’m so happy for my Coach, Mentor,Father Figure and Friend @TomCrean on his new position with @UGABasketball ....The Wade’s are now proud supporters of the Bulldogs!!! Knowing what i know the community of Georgia better strap in because it’s gonna be a helluva ride!

Twitter

Yogi Ferrell: you guys got not a good one but a GREAT one

Twitter

Dwyane Wade: When I only had 3 scholarship offers in high school I was alil down on myself but going to Marquette and getting the chance to be taught the game of basketball and life by @tcrean5 I became the luckiest kid out of the 2000 class. Thanks for being my coach,friend and most importantly a father figure. Love you Coach. We got some great work in this week!!!

Twitter

Tom Crean: "Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work"Aristotle. Watching @KingJames+@DwyaneWade train this week is proof.

Twitter

After the NCAA Tournament, Williams predicts UCLA coach Steve Alford will leave for Indiana, a job vacated last week when the school fired Tom Crean. Given Alford starred at Indiana during his playing days, helping the Hoosiers win the 1987 national championship, that potential move makes sense. Alford's replacement at UCLA? "I see Mr. Earl Watson, the head coach of the Phoenix Suns, coming back home to UCLA," Williams said.

Arizona Republic