David Fizdale hasn't been the head coach of the New York Knicks for long but he already knows what's most important, winning over his big man Kristaps Porzingis. During his opening press conference on Tuesday, he was throwing out all kinds of praise for his prize possession.
Asked about Kristaps Porzingis, David Fizdale says he is "the future of the NBA" and has the qualities of a "mega star."
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) May 8, 2018
He said Porzingis has all the makings of a mega star and is the future of the NBA. Even though Fizdale didn't say it, he is also the key to the coach's future in the Big Apple.
A couple of things need to happen for Fizdale to keep his job, something that not many coaches for the Knicks do for long. He needs to win with Porzingis and although that might not happen right away, there needs to be growth towards that in the first couple years. Fizdale also needs to keep Porzingis happy because if it comes down to a choice between keeping the coach and keeping the star, the star is going to win every time.
Coach Fizdale already has experience in this area after he was fired by the Memphis Grizzlies. Marc Gasol and Fizdale couldn't get along from the beginning and it finally got so bad a choice had to be made, keep Gasol or keep Fizdale, and the front office of the Grizzlies decided to keep Gasol.
Even though Fizdale had that bad experience with Gasol, for the most part, he has been known as a players' coach, and that is going to be key with the Knicks. He has a lot of pressure on him to succeed in this job, and for that to happen it all starts with “the future of the NBA.”
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