Knicks Rumors: David Fizdale Met with Kristaps Porzingis' Brother, Agent Janis

New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale reportedly met with Kristaps Porzingis' brother, Janis Porzingis, who is also the All-Star's agent.

Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported the meeting occurred Friday in Manhattan and did not include Kristaps, as the big man is recovering from left knee surgery in Madrid, Spain.

Isola called it the "first step toward building" a relationship between the two.

This comes after Fizdale said he "won't skip a step" in building a relationship with Porzingis, per Ian Begley of ESPN. Fizdale said he would spend time with Porzingis and his family and help him become an MVP-type player.

The head coach reportedly wants to meet Porzingis in his home country of Latvia, something former head coach Jeff Hornacek, former president Phil Jackson and other members of the front office the big man had reportedly lost faith in never did.

Fizdale discussed his falling out with center Marc Gasol when he coached the Memphis Grizzlies during his meeting with Janis Porzingis, indicating he is looking to avoid that New York.

Fizdale was an assistant coach for the Miami Heat from 2008 through 2016 and won two titles with the teams featuring LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, so he has experience working with superstar players beyond Gasol.

While Porzingis' availability for next season is still unknown, he is a building block for the Knicks at just 22 years old. He averaged 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game before tearing his ACL last season and can extend his offensive attack beyond the three-point line and score inside.

Fizdale will need to rely on Porzingis if he is going to succeed in New York, and he took a first step toward that this offseason.