Pat Delany built his NBA resume as an assistant coach under ex-Knicks assistant Steve Clifford. For the past six seasons, Delany has worked with Clifford in Orlando (2018-2019) and Charlotte (2014-2018). Before devoting himself to Clifford, he spent 11 seasons in the Miami Heat organization working as a video coordinator and scout advance.
The Knicks considered Delany to be David Fizdale’s assistant in 2018. Fizdale and Delany formed a relationship during their time together in Miami.
In a recent ESPN article on increasing league assistants, Delany received praise:
“Whether it’s the Heat family or the members of the Van Cliff Clifford brothers’ coach tree, Magic Assistant Pat Delany has big fans across the league. They believe there are few assistants with greater fluency in the NBA game. Clifford certainly agrees, and entrusts Delany with control of Magic’s end-of-game strategy. If Delany doesn’t get an interview this low season, the weather isn’t far off. “
It’s nice to see that the Knicks consider the assistants widely respected across the league. There was some concern that Knicks’ president Leon Rose could choose the favorites in choosing who to interview, but he is clearly launching an extensive network.