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If we're being brutally honest, whenever the New York Knicks do something, it should be graded on a curve. After all, it is the same NBA franchise owned by a man who sincerely believed Isiah Thomas was good for business — several times over. David Fizdale, however, does not need to be graded on any sort of curve.
On Thursday, the Knicks did something remarkable. Removing their heads from a place where the sun isn't keen to shine, James Dolan and company hired the former Memphis Grizzliers coach. All the “Take That For Data” jokes were quickly hurled on the mean streets of Twitter shortly thereafter.
A celebration was had. It was, somewhat objectively, enjoyable to witness.
Who could blame Knicks fans, though? David Fizdale, if nothing else, represents hope for the hopeless. An earnest sign that the Knicks are willing to be… well, willing. Maybe competent. Dare I say, capable, even. At least in terms of how they handled this specific coaching search.
Names were rumored and reported to be interviewed. Everyone from New York native Mark Jackson to a few NBA retreads would be excited to see their favorite team hire. All in all, though, Dolan actually got this one right. Hindsight isn't needed here.
For the sake of cleanliness, Fizdale is the franchise's 11th coach since the 2001-02 season, and the fifth since the start of the 2010-11 campaign. Meaning, ugh, the Knicks have been really great at being incredibly bad. A legitimate characteristic of the franchise.
Thanks to New York's ineptness, which has spanned well over a decade, Fizdale will have a ton of pressure on him the moment he has his introductory press conference. Through no fault of his own, the man most famous for his catchphrase and beefing with Marc Gasol will inherit the burdens of a franchise with a fanbase rife with misery, yet annually optimistic to start each inherently doomed voyage.
And yet, it is what Fizdale will reportedly do first that should have Knicks fans salivating at the mouth as if he were a double bacon cheeseburger and they were just finished with a 24-hour fast.
According to several reports, Fizdale's first venture as the main man in charge of all things Mecca basketball related is to travel abroad. To hop on a flight, with the air underneath his figurative wings, to meet with pegged franchise mainstay Kristaps Porzingis.
Even if only a symbolic move, it's the correct one to make for all involved. Porzingis has had an iffy relationship with all non-player Knicks for a few years; Fizdale lost his job at Memphis for failing to connect with his superstar; and it even matches with the idea of what Steve Mills, the team's general manager, wants his head coach to be.
“Today's players are very different from yesterday's players,” Mills said, by way of ESPN. “So, you have to be a person that understands who these guys are, where they come from, what their basketball journey is.”
Fizdale, who embodies the NBA player in various ways with his off-the-court viewpoints, should be able to use his lesson learned in Memphis, couple that with who he is as a person, then parlay it into what could possibly be his best time in the sport — having the Knicks rise from the ashes like a phoenix.
He's literally done this before, albeit on a smaller stage. Fizdale was the man behind a 43-39 season in 2016-17, leading the Grizzlies into the playoffs before losing in six games to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. Moreover, under Fizdale, the Grizzlies had the third-best defense in the league, allowing just 100 points per game.
It was a destination, given the team's roster, Memphis should have never reached, highlighting how tremendous things can go when Fizdale is cooking.
There's obviously the opposite side of Fizdale. The one where he was fired during a losing streak in November, ousted for clashing with his superstar. Yet — again, and even more harshly noted — it is experience gained. An event that cost him his job with Memphis, but one — given how highly other league coaches think of him — that can catapult him to being one of the NBA's elite. A combination of great X's and O's guy, an aspect of his skill set no one has ever questioned, with the idea of being able to mesh with every player on his roster.
For what it is worth, and it is a lot, New York players have already reacted favorably to the hire. A sign that, before ever stepping foot in Madison Square Garden, things are off to a swell start.
Anyway, New York has made the playoffs only four times since the turn of century. For those unaware of how math works, that is not awesome. During Hornacek’s two seasons, the Knicks finished with a record of 60-104. The bar should be set relatively low for the new coach upon his arrival in the city, but everyone understands how this all works, despite the franchise's storied history with being everything but consistently competent.
All of that being said, a young nucleus is in New York. The Knicks have their unicorn, a potential elite-level defender in Frank Ntilikina, as well as a bunch of other youngster who can excel given the right environment.
It might take a minute. It might take a season or two. But if the Knicks can relax, stand firmly alongside Fizdale as his attempts the impossible task of turning the franchise into an annual threat, everyone might look back at this hire as the no-brainer it actually is — regardless of what hindsight will tell us in four or five seasons.
What grade should we give the New York Knicks for hiring David Fizdale? No curve needed, friends. It's an A-plus, with a golden sticker implanted on everyone's foreheads.
Other than that, if Fizdale doesn't work in New York, it is unlikely it will be his fault.
