Maine Red Claws head coach Darren Erman is stepping down from that position with the Boston Celtics’ Portland, Maine-based G League team to join former Boston assistant and recent New York Knicks head coaching hire Tom Thibodeau as an assistant coach, reports ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Erman had previously served in the capacity of an NBA assistant coach with the New Orleans Pelicans for four seasons before joining the Red Claws as head coach for the 2019-20 G League season.
Before that stint, he also worked with the Celtics as an assistant with Thibodeau, hired in the season of the team’s last title, in 2007-08.
Boston Celtics G-League coach Darren Erman is finalizing a deal to join Tom Thibodeau’s staff with the New York Knicks, sources tell ESPN. Erman coached the Maine Red Claws in 2019-2020 after four years as New Orleans’ associate head coach.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 24, 2020
A fellow defensive specialist along with Thibs (as the Knicks coach is often called), Erman has long impressed the players he’s worked alongside with his unmatched work ethic and dedication to the sport.
“He’s the best guy in the league to me as far as scouting reports,” former Celtic point guard Rajon Rondo shared via MassLive’s Jay King. “I call him Baby Thibodeau. Thibs is the best at it, to me, defensively. He’s the best defensive coach I’ve ever played for. [Erman is] pretty much a miniature Thibodeau.”
Thibs and his mini-me in terms of coaching philosophy are now reunited, and will soon be back at it; we wish them much success in their new homes.
At least when they aren’t playing Boston, anyway.
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