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Knicks' David Fizdale on Firing Rumors: 'I Don't Even Think About That, Really'
December 6, 2019
New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale said he doesn't concern himself with rumors about his potential firing after the team's 129-92 blowout loss to the Denver Nuggets at Madison Square Garden on Thursday night.
SNY provided Fizdale's full comments about how he's handling the speculation amid the Knicks' 4-18 start to the 2019-20 NBA season:
Thursday's game marked New York's eighth consecutive loss and its second straight lopsided defeat. It lost to reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks by 44 on Monday.
Ian Begley of SNY reported Tuesday that one Knicks source "expected management to fire Fizdale soon." That update came after ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Malika Andrews reported in November that president Steve Mills had "started to lay the internal groundwork for the eventual dismissal" of the team's head coach.
New York started the season 1-7 before starting to show signs of life with a 3-3 stretch. That's been followed by the eight-game losing skid that's left the Knicks with the league's second-worst record and playoff chances already below one percent, per FiveThirtyEight.
Their struggles come after one of the most disappointing offseasons in franchise history.
The Knicks entered the summer with sky-high expectations to revitalize their long-dormant roster with a major splash in a star-studded free-agent market.
No major signings materialized, and the front office watched as the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets landed both Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, a duo long linked to the Knicks.
Nevertheless, Mills said in September he was "proud" how the organization was able to pivot to other options and expected the team to take a step forward this season.
"This is a team—New Yorkers are going to like this team," Mills told reporters. "The grittiness of these guys. The toughness of these guys. It's a group of guys that had places they could've gone. They made the decision to come here—to New York and play for the Knicks."
The team's results haven't improved, and it could soon lead to Fizdale's exit. The Knicks return to play at MSG on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers before heading out on a four-game road trip.