Upon Tuesday morning's introductory press conference, New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale refuted previous reports, which stated the former Memphis Grizzlies coach undermined Marc Gasol's European achievements, according to ESPN's Ian Begley.
“He literally said to Marc Gasol, ‘I know what real championships are, not that fake stuff in Europe,’” a source told Bleacher Report’s Ken Berger. “‘That Euro championship stuff doesn’t cut it.’”
Berger wasn't the only one to report it, as a longtime New York reporter familiar with the situation also danced in similar slopes.
“He also reminded Gasol that he, Fizdale, won two championships and that Gasol had zero,” wrote Frank Isola of The New York Daily News. “The general feeling among the Grizzlies was that Fizdale’s two championships as an assistant coach in Miami were because of LeBron James.”
The tiff between Fizdale and Gasol was indeed deeper than most originally thought, making this a rather personal conflict between the two, which eventually bled into the organization, forcing players and executives to take sides.
Knicks GM Scott Perry noted Fizdale was open with Knicks brass and came clean about his issues with Gasol, vowing not to repeat them this time around, as New York will need him to make amends with Kristaps Porzingis, who is still sour about his treatment under the Phil Jackson era.
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