Knicks Rumors: Steve Mills Laying 'Internal Groundwork' to Fire David Fizdale
The New York Knicks have started the season a disappointing 2-8, and it's possible that failing to turn the ship around could lead to some major changes.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews, "Knicks president Steve Mills had started to lay the internal groundwork for the eventual dismissal of coach David Fizdale."
Per that report, "Rival coaches and executives see a mismatched Knicks roster slow of foot, without legitimate NBA guard play but Mills is selling Dolan on a poorly coached team that is underachieving at 2-8 to start the season."
"Everyone is moving to their positions now," a league source told Wojnarowski and Andrews. "This is how they'll make (Fizdale) the fall guy."
That followed a report from SNY's Ian Begley and Garrett Stepien earlier Monday hinting that changes could be considered: "Multiple SNY sources familiar with the matter said as recently as Thursday that there was no indication that any major coaching or management change was imminent. But those sources stated that nothing had been ruled out with regard an in-season front office or coaching change."
A Madison Square Garden spokesperson declined to comment on behalf of Mills in response to the ESPN report, per Begley.
Fizdale later addressed the rumors surrounding his future when speaking to reporters Monday, via SNYtv:
The team's general manager Scott Perry and Mills addressed the media after Sunday's 108-87 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Given that this is our 10th game, we felt like we had an obligation to come and speak to you guys," Mills said. "Obviously, Scott and I are not happy with where we are right now."
He continued:
"We still believe in our coaching staff, we believe in the plan that Scott and I put together and the players that we've assembled. But we also have to acknowledge that we haven't played at the level we expected to play at. We've sort of seen glimpses of how we can play as a team, when everything comes together. But we've got to find a way to play complete games at the level that we expect our team to play at and that's a responsibility that we take collectively. But I also think it's important for us to communicate to our fans that we're not happy where we are right now, and we're committed to making this better."
The Knicks have had a fascinating calendar year, from trading Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks to failing to win the draft lottery or attract any superstars in free agency.
Instead, the Knicks pivoted to landing B-tier free agents on short-term deals, hoping that the combination of players like Julius Randle, Marcus Morris and Bobby Portis would blend with a young core that includes Mitchell Robinson, RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina, Dennis Smith Jr. and Allonzo Trier.
Thus far, that hasn't materialized, making Sunday's very rare public appearance from Perry and Mills feel like a shot across the bow to the coaching staff and players.
Fizdale has taken blame for the team's early-season struggles.
"I take the brunt of this responsibility because I'm the head coach," he said, per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. "I make these decisions of what's going on on the court, what players play, who plays together, what plays we call, the defense system—that's on me. As much as I appreciate them, I own it. That's just who I am."
Morris wasn't inclined to pass the buck off to his head coach, however.
"Fiz is a great guy, great coach," he said. "He's a front-line dude. ... He's not coming out and giving up 20-point leads. At the end of the day, f--k the X's and O's. We have to come out and be better."
But despite those public comments, it would seem that a blame game is bubbling to the surface in New York. Is poor roster construction to blame for New York's poor start, or has Fizdale failed to get the most out of his roster? With multiple reports emerging that a coaching change could be on the horizon, it appears that Mills is posturing to ensure the narrative focuses on Fizdale.
