Tom Thibodeau praised Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat organization, adding that he's establishing a culture of discipline and conditioning with the New York Knicks.

“He plays very unselfishly, plays to win. He’s not about statistics. I knew that from the start with him. I never envisioned him being this good. I always thought he’d be a good player. But he’s made himself into a superstar because of his intelligence, talent and work ethic. He’s a guy who constantly studies and brings about the best in his teammates," said Thibodeau of Butler.

Butler reportedly bristled at the lack of professionalism from his Timberwolves' teammates when he and Thibodeau were together in Minnesota.

“Butler didn’t like some of the guys’ lack of professionalism. [Jimmy] and Tom had long talks about how to deal with it. ... Tommy was telling him to have patience, see it through," a source told Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Thibodeau then praised Pat Riley's ability to incorporate his principles within the Heat.

“I have great respect for the Heat organization, the way they play, what Pat Riley has done there ... the things they believe in have stood the test of time — fundamentals, intensity, their work ethic. Those are all Pat Riley trademarks. I know Knicks fans are familiar with that from when Pat was here," added Thibodeau.

The new Knicks' coach added that he wanted to emulate the Heat's approach to the fundamentals. 

“The important thing for us is establishing the conditioning and discipline part and also going over all the fundamentals and starting from a zero base. We’re building a foundation.’’

Tom Thibodeau praised Mitchell Robinson's athleticism and ability to attack the rim, saying that he wants to continue developing the third-year center.

Robinson is not currently at the Knicks' voluntary workouts due to personal reasons, though he did participate in individual workouts with the coaching staff earlier this summer.

"What he did last year was put a lot of pressure on the rim. He's an incredible athlete. But we don't want to put a ceiling on him. We want to continue to work on all aspects of his game and develop," said Thibodeau.

The 22-year-old Robinson averaged 9.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in 23 minutes last season.

Thibodeau said that Robinson is a foundational piece for the Knicks moving forward.

"Obviously, he's a very important part of this team," he added.

Royal Ivey, currently the player development coach for the New YorK Knicks, is drawing interest from several teams. 

The Knicks have yet to make any decision on Ivey, though it is believed that the team would let him pursue other opportunities. 

At least one team was interested in Ivey last season, but the Knicks denied that team permission to speak to Ivey.

Knicks, who currently have five assistants under Tom Thibodeau, had initially planned to hire six assistants. 

Larry Greer has a "good chance" of joining the New York Knicks in some capacity, sources told Marc Berman of the New York Post.

Greer's brother, Andy Greer, was recently announced as part of Tom Thibodeau's coaching staff alongside Mike Woodson, Johnnie Bryant, and Dice Yoshimoto.

Larry Greer has previously worked with Thibodeau in Minnesota.

Greer was with the Suns last season, before being let go from the team. 

Tom Thibodeau was reportedly "enamored" with Dennis Smith Jr. prior to the 2017 NBA Draft, sources told Ian Begley of SNY.

Thibodeau, who was coaching the Timberwolves at the time, attended Smith Jr.'s private pre-draft workout.

Smith Jr. was drafted ninth by the Mavs that year, then traded to the Knicks in 2019.

Smith Jr. averaged 5.5 points in 15.8 minutes per game last season for the Knicks.

The New York Knicks are interested in signing Fred VanVleet, a source tells Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.

VanVleet will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason and could command $25 million to $30 million per season.

VanVleet re-signed with the Raptors in 2018 on a two-year, $18 million deal.