LOTS TO LEARN
Rose getting ‘education’ on Spurs system via interviews
If this extended coaching search Knicks president Leon Rose and William Wesley have embarked on still leads to Tom Thibodeau being hired, the rest of the interviews won’t have been a waste of Zoom time.
At least Rose and Wesley, who have never worked for an NBA team, got a crash course in “The Spurs Way.”
Rose called the ongoing search that could end next week “an education.”
Part of Rose’s strategy of interviewing 11 candidates — including five without head-coaching experience — is to hear philosophies of other organizations, according to an NBA source.
Two of those without head coaching experience are assistants Ime Udoka and Will Hardy — both of whom have San Antonio’s impeccable culture ingrained in them.
To a lesser extent, so does Mike Miller, the Knicks interim coach who spent two seasons as an Austin Spurs assistant in the G-League and was Rose’s first interview.
Udoka played three seasons with the Spurs as a teammate of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Udoka went on to coach them as Gregg Popovich’s assistant for seven seasons and also helped cultivate Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Udoka, 42, joined the Sixers before this season.
“He assimilated with the Pop philosophy,’’ one NBA executive who is close to Udoka told The Post. “Udoka is a person very driven, meticulous, hard on himself. He’s a perfectionist.”
Udoka, who oversees the Sixers’ defense, joined another Spurs alum in Brett Brown in Philly.
Torrel Harris, the agent for and father of Sixers forward Tobias Harris, has been most impressed with Udoka, a former Knick. If the Bulls’ job officially opens, Udoka is expected to be a frontrunner, especially now that former Sixers executive Marc Eversley just joined Chicago.
“He’s great guy, good coach,’’ Harris told The Post. “He would be a great coach for the Knicks. All players love him. He gets the players respect. The Knicks should definitely hire him.’’
So why did Udoka leave Popovich’s side? Some insiders deduce Udoka realized he was not Popovich’s successor — that Becky Hammon, Tim Duncan or even Hardy held the inside track. Popovich is 71 years old.
“A different challenge is always exciting to me,’’ Udoka said before the season. “When you’ve done something — you know I spent seven years as a coach [in San Antonio]. Seeing new things, being with new players and bouncing ideas off of different coaches and new philosophies is a way to grow and see things from a different perspective.”
Hardy, 31, still is in place in San Antonio after being with the organization for 10 years, starting as a 21-year-old intern. He was promoted to the front of the bench only this season but has been an assistant for four years after serving as video coordinator.
“It’s not just Pop and [GM] R.C. [Buford], who have been wonderful, but I’ve had coaches I’ve worked for and worked with [and] the list is crazy,’’ Hardy said in an interview with The Athletic before the season. “It’s Mike Budenholzer. It’s Brett Brown, Jacque Vaughn, Don Newman, Chip [Engelland] and Chad [Forcier]. Ime [Udoka] and Ettore Messina, James Borrego, Becky [Hammon], Jim Boylen. I mean, there are like six head coaches in there.”
So what is Rose and Wesley learning about the Spurs through these interviews?
One NBA coach said some of it is simple but hard to duplicate.
“The Spurs Way is the sum being bigger than the individual parts,’’ the coach said. “It was never about Tim Duncan or Tony or Manu. Pop was allowed to coach them without individual agenda because the players bought into a system.’’
One agent said “The Spurs Way’’ is not fake, though their astounding 22-year playoff streak is expected to crash amid the Orlando restart as they enter with a 27-36 record.
“It exists,’’ the agent said. “When it comes to player development, they’ve done amazing. The culture is just great there. When it comes to placing a young player in the NBA, as an agent, you’re targeting two franchises — San Antonio and Miami.”
One coaching source added, “The system is real. If a Hall of Famer buys in, great things happen.”
Spurs class is adjourned.
➤ Mike Woodson, who is being looked at more so to add as top assistant, had his second interview Friday. The Post reported David Fizdale wanted Woodson on his staff in 2018 but management thought it to be a bad idea.