Brooklyn Nets head coach Kenny Atkinson said his heart goes out to colleague David Fizdale, who was recently relieved of his duties as head coach of the New York Knicks.
Although the two franchises figure in a heated crosstown rivalry, Atkinson still felt bad hearing about Fizdale's fate and the grim reality facing every underwhelming coach in this league.
“It doesn't make you feel good as a colleague, and a friend quite honestly. I know it's part of this business… But he's an excellent coach. He'll be back for sure,” he said, per Anthony Puccio.
The Nets have bested the Knicks twice already in their first two encounters of the 2019-20 NBA regular season. The Nets are currently 7th in the East with a 12-10 record.
Fizdale, meanwhile, took the daunting task of trying to turn disenchanted Knicks franchise around after signing a four-year, $22 million deal with the team on May last year.
The Knicks took on losses after losses and went to drop 18 of its first 22 matches (8 consecutive defeats), which ultimately fell upon Fizdale.
His firing already felt inevitable with each horrific lost, punctuated by a 44-point beatdown against the Milwaukee Bucks followed by a 37-point mauling versus the Denver Nuggets just days apart. The Knicks personnel's lack of talent and cohesion is still the primary cause of concern, but the head coach will always be the scapegoat every time things get awry.
The Knicks are once again lottery bound, and interim coach Mike Miller will now be burdened with the duty of at least salvaging some pride for the decorated franchise.
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