Dallas Mavericks guard Courtney Lee says former New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale “was dealt a bad hand at a high-stakes poker table.”
The Knicks fired Fizdale after just 22 games. Lee played for Fizdale last season before the Knicks traded him to Dallas as part of the Kristaps Porzingis trade:
“He was dealt a bad hand at a high-stakes poker table,” Lee told Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. “He did the best with what he was given.”
After missing out on stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency, the Knicks used their cap space on Julius Randle, Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, Marcus Morris, Wayne Ellington, Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock. That’s a lot of power forwards on one team and guys who don’t really move the needle.
How was Fizdale supposed to win games with the roster he had this season? Fizdale was the fall guy in New York. RJ Barrett, Portis and Gibson showed their support for Fizdale multiple times, so we can assume players liked and enjoyed playing for him.
At this point, it probably doesn’t matter who is coaching the Knicks. Their roster just isn’t good enough to compete and it doesn’t help that James Dolan is universally recognized as the worst owner in the NBA.
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