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Knicks Add 4 To Coaching Staff, Including 'Durant's Guy' Keefe

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- The New York Knicks added four assistant coaches to first-year coach Derek Fisher's staff Wednesday, hiring Jim Cleamons, Rasheed Hazzard, Brian Keefe and Joshua Longstaff.

In July, the Knicks hired Kurt Rambis as associate head coach.

The 64-year-old Cleamons, a former Knicks player, teamed with Knicks president Phil Jackson to win nine NBA titles as an assistant with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. He was Dallas' head coach for parts of two seasons in 1996-98, and was an assistant last season with Milwaukee.

Hazzard, the son of former NBA player Walt Hazzard, spent five seasons with the Lakers in player development and as an advance scout. Longstaff spent the last four seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder in a player development role and as a video analyst. Keefe spent the last seven seasons with the Thunder organization, working the last five as an assistant coach.

Keefe "is very close" with Oklahoma City superstar Kevin Durant, according to the New York Post. Durant is set to become a free agent in 2016.

"He's Durant's guy," an NBA source told the paper.

The Knicks are expected to be a contender for Durant, who played alongside Fisher last season, if he hits the open market.

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