The Knicks just dropped a big hint about who’s staying on the new staff

Now that Mike Brown is lined up to become the Knicks' next head coach, the big remaining question is who will fill out the rest of the staff? Well, at least one former assistant seems to be officially staying, as James Edwards III of The Athletic announced that assistant coach Jordan Brink will be coaching the Knicks in Las Vegas for the NBA's summer league.

Whoever the staff ends up being, the most important thing is that Brown is the one making the final decisions. We already know that he views Pelican's assistant coach James Borrego as an important hire, but the path to getting him is complicated, considering he is currently employed by a different organization.

Jordan Birnk plays a special role for the Knicks

One of the reasons that the Knicks, and hopefully Brown himself, intend to keep Brink on the sidelines next season is that he has been the member of the staff who informs the head coach whether or not they should challenge a call from the officials. As Edwards III noted in his tweet, "Brink was on Thibs’ staff and largely responsible for one of the best challenge success rates in the NBA."

Through the first half of the season, the Knicks had the highest success rate on challenges of any staff in the league.

That isn't Brink's only talent, though. He has experience working as a video coordinator and in player development roles during his time on the Detroit Pistons' staff. He is clearly highly valued around the league and within the Knicks organization.

What about the other assistants?

More reports have been circulating, making it seem likely that others will also be returning to the Knicks as part of Brown's staff. Marc Stein recently reported that Rick Brunson would likely be back, which seems like a no-brainer considering he is the father of Jalen Brunson, who needs no introduction here.

Steve Popper of Newsday Sports reported in a tweet that he was hearing that others, such as Darren Erman and Mo Cheeks, as well as potentially more, could be returning.

That is all well and good, so long as Brown is the one making the final say to bring them back. Knicks' owner Jim Dolan has a troubling history of inserting himself into basketball decisions, which usually tend to backfire. If he is the one who is making the decisions about who is on the new staff, Knicks fans should be incredibly worried.