The New York Knicks fired coach David Fizdale, after a bad start in the 2019/2020 campaign. The franchise from the Big Apple is currently 4-18 and what is worse without any improvement compared to the previous year.
High Ambitions, Bad Outcomes
Before the start of this season, the Knicks were announcing their big comeback on the NBA stage. Talks about Zion, the recruitment of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, deep playoff runs, etc., all that fired-up the Knicks’ fanbase. And they expected to see wins, lots of them at the start of the season. Instead, the trend of poor performances continued, and they ended up in the last position in the Eastern Conference with 4 wins and 18 losses.
During his sting in New York, Fizdale posted a 21-83 record, which was below any of the projections the management made. He arrived from the Memphis Grizzlies as the savior and the guy who will reestablish the Knicks as one of the best teams in the league.
In the end, he is walking away as a big bust.
Who’s Replacing Fizdale?
At the moment, all the odds are on Mike Miller to replace Fizdale in the long run. The team’s assistant coach is, according to former players and New York’s legends, the best possible choice for this job.
The 2018 G League Coach of the Year with the Westchester Knicks, knows the situation in the organization, and he wouldn’t lose any time on adjustments. Also, his award from the G League earns him the right to have a chance in the NBA.
The next in the line is Larry Drew, who is without a club after Cleveland Cavaliers decided against offering him an extension. He was in charge at Cleveland in the 2018/2019 season but posted just 19 wins and 57 losses, which didn’t satisfy the management of the Cavs. Previously, he worked in Atlanta for three years, and each season the Hawks reached the playoffs. In between, Drew coached the Milwaukee Bucks.
As a wild sensation, some circles are mentioning the name of one of the most beloved Knicks’ coaches of all times – Jeff Van Gundy. He is currently the commentator at the ESPN, but some are saying that he might be back to his old love.