Rick Carlisle: 'I'm Happy' David Fizdale Got out of 'Terrible Mess' with Knicks

Chris Szagola/Associated Press

Being fired is often viewed as a negative thing, but there are some in the NBA who believe David Fizdale is in a better place now that he is no longer the coach of the New York Knicks.

Amid a 4-18 start, New York relieved Fizdale of his duties on Friday, and Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle believes it was in Fizdale's best interest.

"I'm happy for Fizdale to be out of that terrible mess that he had nothing to do with," Carlisle said Saturday, per Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News.

Carlisle is not the only one to show support for Fizdale, though. Steve Kerr, who was in the running for the Knicks job in 2014 before being hired by the Golden State Warriors, believes he would have suffered a similar fate in the Big Apple:

Fizdale went 21-83 in one-plus season with the Knicks, a franchise in the midst of a six-year playoff drought. New York has made the postseason just four times in 18 seasons and has not advanced beyond the second round since 2000.

As the Knicks have attempted to right the ship over the past two decades, they have had a never-ending carousel on the sideline:

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Fizdale had likely hoped for a longer run in New York, but the Knicks are no longer his problem.