The New York Knicks fired David Fizdale as head coach after just 22 games this season, replacing him with Mike Miller on an interim basis.
Fizdale, who has returned to ESPN as an analyst, says he probably should have been a little tougher on the Knicks' young guys:
David Fizdale, on SiriusXM NBA Radio, says he “probably needed to crack the whip a little more and be more demanding of the young guys to do more winning things and not be as patient with them from that standpoint.”
Knicks loved him, maybe because he was too easy on them.
— Brian Mahoney (@briancmahoney) February 10, 2020
After missing out on stars Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency this past summer, 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.
So, how was Fizdale supposed to win games with the roster he had this season? He was clearly the fall guy in New York. Rookie RJ Barrett and veterans Portis and Gibson showed their support for Fizdale multiple times, so we can assume players liked and enjoyed playing for him despite the losing record.
The Knicks are on their way to another losing season with no playoffs. 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.
When you fire a head coach and president in the same season, that just spells dysfunction. New York reassigned Steve Mills last week and will be looking for a new president, although the Knicks are expected to hire Leon Rose.
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