Knicks Get Another Former Maverick
Nearly two years after famously adding Jalen Brunson, the New York Knicks have returned to the North Texas well.
Per longtime NBA insider Marc Stein, the Knicks have hired longtime Dallas Mavericks mainstay Casey Smith to serve as their new vice president of sports medicine. Smith had been stationed with the Mavericks since the 2004-05 season, serving as the team's head athletic trainer through 2019. He held the same role with USA Basketball in 2005-12 as well.
Smith became one of the most respected names behind the scenes in Dallas, but apparent front office tampering but a cloud over his final tour of North Texas.
Though Dallas recovered well enough to reach the recent NBA Finals, many were reportedly perplexed by a de facto demotion, one where his title became "director of player health and performance." Smith's apparent new role kept him away from the Dallas bench on game day, which ESPN insider Tim MacMahon described as a "banishment" that left those within the organization "concerned."
Thus marred an otherwise sterling tenure, one where Smith, who also carried a front office presence, gained the respect of the major names of the Mavericks organization.
"“He’s been an absolute godsend to us with the Mavericks,” former Mavericks general manager Donnie Nelson told team reporter Dwain Price in 2018. “Relationally, he’s as plugged in as anyone I’ve ever been around in the NBA.”
It's perhaps hardly a surprise to see the Knicks seek out new, accomplished names for their medical staff, especially considering what transpired last season. Though New York won 50 games and placed second on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket, many felt that the team could've gone further if not for a lengthy injury report that often resembled starting lineups.
By the end, the Knicks had lost Bojan Bogdanovic, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson to season-ending injuries while Brunson and Josh Hart were also hobbled by the end. The ailments were labeled the primary reason why they fell just short of the conference finals and perhaps more, but Smith brings a new sense of championship pedigree to Manhattan.
In addition to his working during the Mavericks' 2011 title run, Smith also earned Olympic gold medals with Team USA, triumphing in the 2008 and 2012 Summer Games in Beijing and London respectively.
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI
Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks