New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale has faced quite a bit of scrutiny for the way his team has performed through the early stages of this season. Speculation about his job security came to a boil after an embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier this month. Now, however, the hot seat seems to have cooled off a bit.
Knicks management actually held an impromptu press conference following that loss to the Cavs to discuss their poor start. It was at this point that many experts thought Fizdale could be in trouble. Now that the team has won a few of its recent games, including a second matchup against Cleveland, that sort of talk has reportedly died down.
Via Marc Berman of the New York Post:
Since The Steve Mills Press Conference Game on Nov. 10 that appeared to put David Fizdale on a 10-game notice, things have been on the uptick. Mills wanted to see “consistent effort” and he’s gotten it. Indications are the coach’s hot seat is cooler halfway through this 10-game trial. Their record is 2-3 since the James Dolan-inspired conference but could easily be 4-1. (They blew big leads to Charlotte, losing on a last-second 3-pointer, and, of course, had Philly dead in the water).
There are a few reasons why Fizdale's seat may not have actually been that hot to begin with:
The Knicks had to really sink south for a coaching change to be made by Game 20. Indications are it was far-fetched for a change to be made this early anyway. Was owner James Dolan, who has given Fizdale private reassurances, really going to let president Mills hire a new coach from the outside on a long-term deal with Fizdale still having at least one season fully guaranteed on his pact for 2020-21? Sources indicated the major deterrent to making a change at Thanksgiving was the sketchy alternative of promoting one of the assistants – Jud Buechler, Keith Smart or Kaleb Canales.
The Knicks are currently holding a 4-11 overall record. Clearly, that's not a good mark, but there is still a lot of time left in this season. Their next shot at claiming a victory comes on Saturday night, when they'll host the San Antonio Spurs.
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