NBA Rumors: Latest News on Paul George Return Date and New York Knicks Drama
While the City of Angels is enjoying great basketball and only receiving great news, the East Coast is watching a meltdown in progress.
Paul George is set to return for the Los Angeles Clippers, who must be eager to see their superstar duo in action. George will make his first appearance next to Kawhi Leonard, the reigning NBA Finals MVP.
The Knicks, on the other hand, are apparently looking toward the future with no regard for the dysfunction being created right now. New York's ownership is reportedly trying to restructure the front office and wants to hire a new coach.
Let's start on the happy side, shall we?
This offseason, the Clippers traded for George to pair with Leonard. However, "PG" has missed the first 10 games of the season while recovering from surgery on both of his shoulders.
But according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, George is expected to debut Thursday when the New Orleans Pelicans host the Clips: "Barring an unexpected setback, the six-time All-Star will take the court for the first time since his first-round exit in April when he was a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder."
Last season, George averaged career-high marks of 28 points, 8.2 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 2.2 steals. He finished third in MVP voting behind Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden, also earning first-team All-NBA and All-Defensive honors.
Yeah, the 7-3 Clippers are about to add that.
Head coach Doc Rivers recently provided some straightforward honesty about how George's return will impact the rotation.
"Anybody who thinks they're going to keep their minutes and Paul's not going to get them is probably not very rational, anyway. That's why teams work," Rivers said, per Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points.
What isn't working, however, is New York's front office.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews reported Knicks president Steve Mills has "started to lay the internal groundwork for the eventual dismissal" of David Fizdale. The second-year coach has overseen a 2-8 start that includes four 20-point losses.
Meanwhile, team owner James Dolan has a different agenda. According to Frank Isola of The Athletic, Dolan is "plotting to take another run" at Toronto Raptors president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri.
Ian Begley of SNY then revealed if the Knicks continue to struggle, Fizdale is likely to get fired during the season before Mills and general manager Scott Perry are dismissed in the offseason.
Got all that? It's a mess.
Fizdale's job security is teetering, but Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News noted the coach has his players' support.
"It's on us, too," Bobby Portis said. "We're the ones out there playing. So he can't go out there and play for us. So it's on us as well. It's not just one person's fault. We take it as a team."
At this point, changes seem inevitable. But which domino―and which agenda―will be the first to fall?
Follow Bleacher Report writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.
