David Fizdale, Knicks Understand What's at Stake in 1st Post-Phil Jackson Draft
CHICAGO — Scott Perry spent his first season with the Knicks operating in the background. It's not that he was passive, but after being hired as the team's general manager in July, he decided to sit back and evaluate his new surroundings before making any big decisions.
That changed the night the Knicks' 2017-18 season ended. Upon returning to New York from Cleveland, where they played their final game of the year, Perry, along with team president Steve Mills, fired head coach Jeff Hornacek. A few weeks later, the Knicks hired David Fizdale—a sign that Mills and Perry were ready to begin rebuilding the team their way.
The Fizdale hire illuminated what attributes this latest Knicks brain trust values most. Those who've been around Fizdale—throughout his years as an assistant coach in Miami and also his year-plus in Memphis—point to relationship building (though he struggled there in Memphis) and player development as his two greatest strengths.
That's what Perry and Mills were looking for in a coach.
Now it's time for them to rebuild the roster, and that process will start with the upcoming draft. It's Perry's first with the team, as Phil Jackson was still Knicks president during last year's draft. The Knicks own the ninth overall pick, and while this current batch of prospects might not be stuffed with stars, scouts do view it as a fairly deep one.
Who the Knicks tab will tell us what kind of roster Perry, Mills and now Fizdale are trying to build.
"We have a certain kind of player we're looking for," Fizdale said Thursday at the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. "I think I made it clear that the toughness thing is a top priority for us. Versatility, skill, guys that play both sides of the ball. Those are things that fit under what we're looking for."
The Knicks will have options at nine. We're still early in the process, with the teams only learning their draft slots this week, but various scouts and executives mentioned Oklahoma guard Trae Young, Missouri forward Michael Porter Jr., Alabama point guard Collin Sexton, Villanova wing Mikal Bridges and Michigan State forward Miles Bridges as players who could be available.
Each offers a different skill set, meaning each would be a revealing selection.
In the few times he's spoken with the media since being named head coach, Fizdale has made it clear that he'd like the team to shift toward a more position-less style. He used that term on multiple occasions, and Perry has said he's intrigued by the strategy.
Doing so would be a smart shift for the team, especially with Kristaps Porzingis and Frank Ntilikina, two big, quick, long-limbed players. But it would also require an injection of wing options. Fizdale acknowledged as much while speaking with reporters Thursday.
"If you look at just slots, our wing position we got to add a little more in there from the 3-4 spot," he said. "But that's a position-less kind of area. Who fits that mold? I don't know. It's always guys, a 6'7" to 6'9" guy who is a two-way player with a lot of skill that helps us."
Miles and Mikal Bridges both fall under the umbrella. Maybe Porter, though he is a bit taller at 6'10".
Then again, Perry has also said he views the Knicks to still be in "talent acquisition mode." It's a fancy way of saying that with all the holes in the roster, it'd be silly to harp on specific positions and skills as opposed to grabbing the best player and figuring everything else out later.
That could make Sexton their guy. He's athletic, and both Perry and Mills believe the Knicks to be sorely lacking in that area.
Scouts describe Sexton as having a great "motor," a trait Perry is drawn to. Another trait that could push Perry in a certain direction: a history of winning. The Knicks aren't sold on Ntilikina, last year's lottery pick, being their lead guard moving forward. Perhaps a backcourt of Sexton and Ntilikina is the way to go.
Whoever the Knicks settle on, it's unlikely that player grows into a franchise savior. No. 9 picks rarely do. But Perry and Co. should be able to grab a prospect who moves the team another step closer toward contention.
If he's not, the Knicks could find themselves scouting lottery picks for years to come.
Yaron Weitzman covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow Yaron on Twitter @YaronWeitzman, listen to his Knicks-themed podcast here and sign up for his newsletter here.
