Jamahl Mosley, a Knicks training candidate, is in his sixth season with Rick Carlisle’s Mavericks staff. The 41-year-old emerged as one of the best young assistants in the league destined to take the next step.
However, it was legendary coach George Karl – not Carlisle – who gave Mosley his first job in the NBA, hiring him to train the Nuggets players in 2006 on a paltry $ 25,000 salary.
Mosley, a 6-foot and 8-star power at the University of Colorado, has been with Karl from 2006 to 10-10, moving from the player’s development coach to the bench coach for the past two seasons together.
“I thought he had a great connection to today’s player,” Karl retired to The Post from his home in Denver. “He was hungry. He was great in player development, so towards the end of his time, we gave him scouting reports, responsibility for the game plan. He was really good at the basketball intellect and really good at the players. This is the combination you need in today’s world and the changing attitude of young players. “
In Denver, Mosley worked closely with Carmelo Anthony, a client of Leon Rose, now president of Knicks. Mosley was a guru in Dallas for Luka Doncic and was the same for Dennis Smith Jr. before his trade with the Knicks.
“He’s a young man who has worked hard to strengthen his reputation as a great young coach, great communicator,” Carlisle said on a Dallas radio station last week. “I don’t think he will be with us much longer, honestly. Whether it’s the Knicks or someone else, this guy will become a coach sooner or later. The opportunity to speak to the Knicks is what he has gained. “
When Mosley joined Karl’s staff, he had recently ended his career as a musician in Europe – and proved invaluable for tutorials. Tim Grgurich, Karl’s longtime player development guru, took Mosley “under his wing”.
“The thing that I saw at Jamahl, we are a staff that likes to go out on the field and work,” said Karl. “We don’t believe in Club Med workouts. Players like to shoot jump shots and go at their own pace. I am a supporter of going at game speed throughout and putting defenders on you in the tutorials. Jamahl could do it because he was still a good player and he was big, and covered big and small boys. He had a lot of versatility for our staff. He collected all the jargon quickly and proved to be very bright. “
And now Karl believes Mosley is the coaching material.
“It was his daily enthusiasm and desire to find the time to be an excellent coach,” said Karl, who hosts a “Truth and Basketball” podcast. “” It reminds me a lot of the coach [Dwane] Casey when I got him in Seattle and Terry Stotts [Karl’s assistant in Seattle and Milwaukee]. Both have become excellent coaches and, like them, Jamahl has a defensive mentality. ”
Karl believes that Mosley has a good base with himself and Carlisle as mentors. In Dallas, Mosley was Carlisle’s defensive coordinator.
“Both Denver and Dallas have won many basketball games when [Jamahl] it was there, ” said Karl. “Rick is different from me, but that makes you a better coach when you learn that you can do things differently and still be successful.”
Rose is interviewing 11 candidates with Mosley, one of five inexperienced coaching assistants. Mosley is also one of four black candidates. The NBA entered the season with only eight African American coaches.
“I’m a huge fan of what’s going on in our country, which has to wake up,” said Karl. “We have been unfair and unequal with African Americans. The NBA is 90 percent black. Yes, they must have multiple positions of power and influence and we also need more black owners. ”
Karl ranks sixth in the all-time NBA career ranking (1,175). He wrote to Mosley last week, telling him how much he deserves head coach interviews. Last season, Mosley refused to interview the Knights. Mosley has been an assistant to Cavaliers since 2010-14, leaving Karl for a big salary increase.
Before Mosley left for Cleveland, Karl said he instilled the knowledge in him to keep the game simple with an emphasis on communication.
“You have to have a good philosophy, but every coaching staff has this,” said Karl. “It is the energy and passion that bring it to work. I don’t think there are any smarter coaches than other coaches. Coaches who communicate what they want and get a commitment [the players] doing it is what makes it work. “
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