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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 27: Head coach David Fizdale of the New York Knicks reacts to a call against the New York Knicks in the third quarter against the Miami Heat at Madison Square Garden on January 27, 2019 in New York City.NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
The New York Knicks spent a long time chasing free agents. James Dolan believes that other players would like to play for the Knicks. However, they have had trouble attracting the top-echelon talent in the NBA.
Out of the current roster of starters, the Knicks traded for and signed a contract extension with almost all of them. That includes Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and O.G. Anunoby. None of those players chose the team in free agency initially.
David Fizdale was the head coach with the Knicks for just two seasons from 2018 to 2020. He came out firing with accusations in a recent interview, including that the team assured him they were going to land Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.
GettyNew York Knicks coach David Fizdale reacts. (Photo by Naomi Baker/Getty Images)
New York Knicks Coach David Fizdale Crushes Organization
While speaking on Run It Back, Fizdale claims New York forced him to tank for Zion Williamson or Ja Morant.
“You know losing all those damn games, donating my record to get Zion Williamson or Ja.”
Fizdale claims that the plan was to be bad enough so they could land one of those players in the top two of the draft. They ended up with the third overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, selecting RJ Barrett. Barrett now plays for the Toronto Raptors.
Then, Fizdale claims that he was assured that the Knicks were going to be able to land Durant and Irving together to play for the team.
“Then that summer, our people seemed to have thought KD and Kyrie for sure was coming to us. That sh– didn’t work out.”
Fizdale went on to complain about the players that he did have on that roster, claiming they didn’t fit together. While it was a strange roster, players such as Bobby Portis, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson all have talent. Barrett was the most consistently played player for Fizdale.
GettyNew York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson celebrates. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)
The New York Knicks Are Championship Contenders
Things with Fizdale did not work out. New York is now constructed to the point that they believe they are NBA title contenders. Right now, they sit third in the Eastern Conference standings. They have the third-best offense in the league at this point in the year.
If they can keep their core healthy, the Knicks have an excellent shot to come out of the East, which has no clear favorite. After making the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago with mostly the same team, they believe they are ready to take that extra step to the Finals.
The moves that they made in the late 2010s when Fizdale was coaching didn’t work out at the time. Still, those failed moves have led to them being closer to the title than they have in quite a while. New York hasn’t made the NBA Finals since 1999, when they fell to the Spurs.
Fizdale hasn’t been a head coach since he was let go by New York at the end of 2020.