New York Knicks: 3 takeaways from the 2018 offseason
2. The culture is changing by the day
When it first came out the Knicks were signing David Fizdale to become their new head coach, many around the league were shocked at New York’s decision, and not in a bad way.
As an assistant on the Miami Heat teams that won back-to-back titles and a short head coaching stint in Memphis, Fizdale has a wealth of expertise and is well-respected around the NBA.
It hasn’t even been three months since the signing, and already it’s easy to see how Fiz is changing the culture of the organization for the better.
He’s been very upfront about wanting to establish a long lasting relationship with All-Star Kristaps Porzingis, keeping in touch with the unicorn and even going to visit him in his home country of Latvia.
Kristaps Porzingis and David Fizdale together at Porzingis’ hometown gym in Leipaja, Latvia. Fizdale and his wife are in town to visit Porzingis and his family. https://t.co/XZkaUpsoY4
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) July 25, 2018
He’s stated that the trio of Frank Ntilikina, Emmanuel Mudiay and Trey Burke will have to fight it out in training camp to see who gets the starting job.
According to ESPN‘s Adrian Wojnarowski, Mario Hezonja signed with the Knicks in large part because he believed in Fizdale as a coach, despite receiving multiple offers to play elsewhere.
Whether it be Jeff Hornacek or Derek Fisher, past Knicks coaches didn’t have this type of influence on the team, and especially not before they even coached a minute at Madison Square Garden.
The Knicks have needed a stabilizer at the helm ever since Jeff Van Gundy left the sidelines, a guy who understands what it means to work for the orange and blue and someone who ingratiates himself with the players.
Fizdale may not have the tangible results just yet, but so far he’s done just about everything else in order to change the culture of the Knicks franchise.