Will the Knicks be able to add one of the top assistants in college basketball to Tom Thibodeau’s staff? Entering the weekend, some in the Knick organization were optimistic that Kentucky assistant Kenny Payne would choose to make the jump to the NBA, per sources. Payne joined John Calipari’s coaching staff at Kentucky prior to the 2010-11 season and was promoted to associate coach in 2014. Prior to working at Kentucky, Payne served as an assistant coach at the University of Oregon. He also played four NBA seasons with the 76ers from 1989-1993. He’s considered one of the top assistant coaches in the NCAA and is certainly one of the highest-paid assistants in the sport.