NEW YORK, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 16: Head Coach David Fizdale in action against the Charlotte Hornets at Madison Square Garden on November 16, 2019 in New York City. Charlotte Hornets defeated the New York Knicks 103-102. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
The Knicks have fired head coach David Fizdale, cramming one last long, loud armpit fart into a decade of organizational disaster.
After back-to-back 30-point losses, their sixth and seventh losses by at least 20 points this season, the Knicks have reportedly fired head coach David Fizdale. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the team has also fired assistant coach Keith Smart, who had head coaching experience and could have been a possibility as an interim option.
This means the Knicks will be moving on to their seventh head coach of the decade, still in search of their first winning season since 2012-13. Whoever replaces Fizdale to finish this season is unlikely to be the difference-maker in that regard, given the 4-18 hole the team has dug themselves.
The Knicks fate for this season was sealed when Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving both opted to sign with the Brooklyn Nets instead of the Knicks. New York used their cap space on shorter-team deals (good!) but ended up with a slew of largely ineffective players who happened to play the same position (bad!). They didn’t have the firepower to fight for a playoff spot but they also didn’t execute well enough to simply stay competitive.
To add insult to injury, the stopgap veterans they signed — Julius Randle, Bobby Portis and Marcus Morris — have been dominating the ball and not really letting the Knicks lean into their youth movement. I mean, if you’re going to have the worst record in the league you might as well be letting your 19- and 20-year-old assets lead the offense and play through mistakes.
No on-court identity. No self-awareness. No definable plan to speak of. Saying one thing and doing another. I wish I could summon some jokes here to make to lighten the mood but, honestly, they’ve all been made. The Knicks are bad and they keep getting worse. I’d like to say that there’s nowhere to go but I think we all know the Knicks will just make that platitude look silly.