Don Chaney has made the mistake once already – mistaking Brendan Malone for Mike Malone on the telephone. Same New York/Irish accent.
And more importantly, Chaney sees so much of Brendan in Mike when the 32-year-old is on the court, such as when he ran the pre-draft workouts last week. “I think Don respects him a lot,” Brendan Malone said. “He listens to him and trusts his judgment. I’m even learning from him.”
Brendan Malone’s third stint with the Knicks – as Chaney’s top assistant – began two weeks ago. And it will be different for one reason – he’ll be working for the first time with his son, Mike, who was recently promoted to assistant/advance scout. Mike Malone and assistant Herb Williams will split time as the Knicks’ summer league coaches, replacing the fired Tom Thibodeau.
The Knicks now have three father-son tandems – including GM Scott Layden and his father Frank, a consultant, and the venerable longtime scout Dick McGuire and his son Scott McGuire, also a college scout. And they were all together the past few days as the Knicks began their pre-draft workout at their Westchester practice facility.
Today, the Malones will spend Father’s Day together for the first time since Brendan left for Indiana three years ago. Born and bred in New York, Malone had never given up his house in Armonk. But leaving Isiah Thomas was more than just a New York homecoming. It was a chance to work with Mike. Not even Pacers GM Donnie Walsh was going to prevent the reunion.
“When I’m talking to him, I forget he’s my son,” Brendan said. “I feel like I’m talking to another coach. I think that’s what’s changed in the past five years. So far, I’ve been as impressed with him as any coach I’ve ever worked with and I’m not just saying that as a father’s sentiment.”
A former high school coach at Power Memorial, Brendan has six kids – three boys, three girls – but only Mike pursued basketball as a career. And it was a shock.
“When he was seven, eight, he didn’t have the passion for the game, he didn’t put the extra hour in,” Malone said.
He played at Loyola College (Md.) but his ambition was to become a Secret Service agent, ready to accept his first job as a state trooper in Michigan. But then he got a call from Providence College coach Pete Gillen to become an assistant and a new career path was laid, beginning in the college ranks for seven years.
Brendan believes his son has what it takes to be an NBA head coach one day. “I’m just very much impressed with his command in the workout and his conciseness with his coaching, his organization,” Brendan said. “I can see right now he’s impressing people.”
His father most of all.
