With Mike Brown officially introduced as the Knicks' next head coach, the attention has shifted to how he will fill out the rest of his staff. That process has already hit a major roadblock, as SNY's Ian Begley reported that Brown's top target, James Borrego, will be staying with the New Orleans Pelicans.
The Knicks' attempt to poach coaches who are currently under contract with other teams has become a theme of the summer. They attempted to land Jason Kidd, Chris Finch, Ime Udoka, Billy Donovan, and Quin Snyder for their head coaching vacancy, all of which failed to transpire.
Now, they are missing out on their top assistant target. Borrego is clearly highly regarded by the Knicks' front office, as he was interviewed for their head coaching role as well. Brown also viewed Borrego as a key potential piece of his staff.
Who will take Rick Brunson's role?
Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported that Rick Brunson will lose his Associate Head Coach title this season. It appeared that Borrego would be the one to replace him, until New Orleans made it clear they wouldn't be moving on from the promising assistant.
The Knicks took their time to find a head coach, leaving no stone unturned in a process that dragged out for a month. It seems the process of filling out Brown's staff will also be lengthy. Brown himself said that he and Leon Rose had just started the process and that he didn't know how long it would take.
Borrego's analytical thinking would have been valuable
The NBA is becoming more analytically driven by the day. Deep twos have become a thing of the past unless you're among the game's elite shotmakers; there are composite metrics to evaluate player impact that don't show up in the box score, the list goes on and on.
Borrego has a reputation for taking an analytics-forward approach to the game. That would be a valuable addition to any staff, particularly one for a coach who is inheriting a brand-new roster and is now tasked with figuring out just how to optimize it.
Nevertheless, there will be other options to fill out Brown's staff. Reports have indicated that several of the assistants from last year's team will be returning, and Brown and Rose will no doubt spend the necessary time to evaluate other viable options on the open market; the only question is who they will be.