New York Knicks made a widely anticipated move on Friday when they fired head coach David Fizdale. This comes after the Knicks started the season with 4-18 record; the worst in Eastern Conference.
According to ESPN’s sources, Knicks also fired Keith Smart, one of the team’s top assistants. Reportedly, Assistant coaches Mike Miller and Pat Sullivan are among the candidates to take the head coaching job on an interim basis.
Fizdale was on the hot seat for some time now, and many expected that he will be fired a few weeks ago. After a blowout 108-87 loss to Cleveland Cavaliers on November 10th, general manager Scott Perry and team president Steve Mills conducted a press conference in which they expressed their disappointment about the way the team has been playing and demanded an improvement.
Despite the dissatisfaction from the front office, Fizdale kept his job and was given the opportunity to turn things around after Cavs’ game. However, the Knicks went on to win only two out of 12 next games which ended up sealing the 45-year-old’s fate.
David Fizdale joined New York Knicks in the summer of 2018, reportedly rejecting several other offers, including one from Atlanta Hawks, in the process. Reportedly he was excited about the opportunity to coach a transcendent player in Kristaps Porzingis and New York’s appeal to top free agents. However, he didn’t experience either, as Porzingis was traded before he had a chance to suit up for Fizdale while marquee free agents like Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving snubbed the Knicks.
Fizdale leaves New York with a 21-83 overall record, which stands as fifth worst in the last 30 NBA seasons for a coach that led the team in at least 100 games.
