The New York Knicks chose to part ways with head coach David Fizdale after a 4-18 start to the 2019-20 season, yet the 45-year-old coach doesn't resent the organization for throwing in the towel on his tenure.
“That's the business we've chosen,” Fizdale said Wednesday during an interview with ESPN's Golic and Wingo. “I respect those guys greatly. I miss the hell out of them. … I obviously learned a ton from it and I was just really grateful to have that opportunity to say I was the head coach of the Knicks.”
Fizdale was fired on Dec. 6, with assistant Mike Miller taking over on an interim basis, instilling a new approach to the game from then on. The Knicks are 6-9 since and stand at 10-27 after three straight losses, the latest a 30-point road defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Knicks have missed the playoffs for six straight seasons, a record that is tied for the second-longest streak in franchise history. Fizdale believes Miller and company will need to be patient restructuring and building from the ground up, something easier said than done in The Big Apple.
“It is a team that has struggled for a long time and I think fans really want to get that thing going as soon as possible,” said Fizdale. “It's unique from that standpoint. There's other places you can take your time a little more and build more slowly.”
Fizdale will still be paid for the next two and a half years left on his contract after his early termination, but the young coach is expected to be on the lookout for his next opportunity after stints in Memphis and New York.
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