David Fizdale: I've 'Had Some Really Good Conversations' with Kristaps Porzingis
New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale suggested Friday that he is hitting it off with Kristaps Porzingis during a visit to Porzingis' home country of Latvia.
In an interview with Latvia's LSM (h/t ESPN.com's Ian Begley), Fizdale said he and Porzingis have discussed a wide range of subjects:
"We've talked about his rehab. We've talked about how we want to play, our style of play. Talked a lot about the culture that we're building. We wanna make sure that he comes back strong and healthy [from his ACL surgery] and we don't want to rush it. We've had some really good conversations. We talked about the kids we drafted [Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson]). I've tried to make sure that he's—we've been in communication on every decision that we've made."
The Knicks hired Fizdale this offseason after parting ways with Jeff Hornacek on the heels of a two-year stint.
The Knicks tweeted a photo of Fizdale hanging with his star player in Latvia on Thursday:
Porzingis remains on the mend after suffering a torn ACL in February. Per Begley, Porzingis is expected to be out until at least December.
The 22-year-old Porzingis was named an All-Star for the first time last season, after averaging 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks per game.
For a Knicks team that hasn't reached the playoffs since the 2012-13 season, the seven-footer is the key building block moving forward.
Despite the fact that Porzingis remains on the shelf, there is reason for optimism in the Big Apple.
In addition to the continued development of 2017 first-round pick Frank Ntilikina, 2018 draft picks Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson performed brilliantly during summer league play.
Fizdale spent parts of two seasons as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies, going 50-51 with one playoff appearance.
If Fizdale and Porzingis can remain on the same page, unlike what happened with Fizdale and Marc Gasol in Memphis, the Knicks appear to finally be built for long-term success.
