Every NBA team gets one challenge a game. It’s a chance to ask referees to look again at a call that might have gone wrong.
If it is used right, it can flip a foul or decide who ends up at the free throw line late in a close game.
The Knicks just put someone new in charge of making that call.
Who Is the Knicks New Challenge Coach
Ed Flynn is the one, and Stefan Bondy of the New York Post first reported the hire. He spent the last three seasons running the video room in New Orleans, rising to head video coordinator for the Pelicans.
Ed Flynn has joined the Knicks staff and will monitor the IPad to recommend challenges to Mike Brown, The Post has learned.
Flynn was head video coordinator with the Pels last season.
He replaces Jordan Brink, who left for Chicago.
Before that, he worked with the Charlotte Hornets and coached at the University of Miami as a graduate assistant. He also played center at Williams College, standing 6-foot-10.
His official title is assistant coach for special situations.
Flynn has New Orleans ties already on the Knicks bench. Jose Alvarado came through that same Pelicans locker room, and assistant coach T.J. Saint once ran New Orleans’ G League affiliate.
He replaces Jordan Brink, who left this offseason for a promotion with the Chicago Bulls under new head coach Tiago Splitter. Brink built a real track record calling challenges for Tom Thibodeau and then Mike Brown, and Brown leaned on him completely.
The signature moment came in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. With the score tied late, Brown challenged a foul call on OG Anunoby. Brink’s advice paid off. The call was overturned, Anunoby made all three free throws, and the Knicks held on to win 105-104 and go up 2-0 on the Spurs.
Why This Hire Matters for the Knicks This Season
Flynn is stepping into a role Brink built into something the Knicks leaned on completely, and that is a lot to live up to. Not a bad problem to have, since it means his predecessor was excellent rather than a mess he needs to clean up.
There is no time to second guess a challenge on the sideline. A coach gets one shot and thirty seconds, and has to trust the person next to him completely.
For a defending champion, small edges like this add up over 82 games and a long playoff run. Flynn does not need to be flashy. He needs to be right when it counts, the same way Brink was, turning a missed call into three free throws and a series lead instead of a loss.
Knicks Add New Coach to Replace Key Figure From Championship Run