It?s inevitable if the Knicks don?t turn this around and start winning games. Fizdale and now Morris are attributing the Knicks awful start to all the new guys and the need to build chemistry and MM is defending Fizdale by saying Fizdale is putting them in the best position to win. All Morris and Fizdale say maybe true but we have to start seeing wins as the season progresses or Fizdale maybe gone before the season ends, I don?t see Mills and Perry spending 70M on players and winding up with the worst record in the NBA and not blaming Fizdale.
Tommy Beers take on Fizdale so far in the season.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2019/10/27/the-knicks-2019-20-season-is-off-to-a-horrendous-start-and-head-coach-david-fizdale-has-to-shoulder-some-of-the-blame/#25176a033b6
Back in July of 2018, shortly after he was hired to coach the Knicks and before he held his first official practice, David Fizdale avowed that all playing time in New York would be earned. Nothing was guaranteed. "I'm going to let them clash over it," the coach said in Las Vegas when asked about minutes allotted to individual players. "I don't want to guarantee anybody anything because it totally contradicts the culture. Everything is about, 'You keep what you kill.'"
"Roll that ball out and whoever takes the spot, takes the spot," he said.
Fizdale again echoed very similar sentiments at the start of the training camp this year. The Knicks brought in a bunch of veterans this offseason to compete for playing time, and Fiz promised only those players that earned minutes would see the floor.
Well, through a rough 1-3 preseason and three consecutive losses to open the regular season, some fans feel those soundbites ring a bit hollow.
Specifically, the curious case of Dennis Smith Jr. has drawn the ire of New Yorkers. Smith came into camp purportedly in great shape, ready to finally put it all together, making the most of his undeniable potential and dynamic athleticism. However, DSJ tweaked his back in practice on October 5th. This was concerning, considering Smith was sidelined for ten of the Knicks final 14 games in 2018-19 due to lingering lower back soreness.
Smith ended up missing New York's first two preseason contests, but started each of the final two. Still, he looked a step slow and struggled with his shot, converting just 17.6% of his FG attempts in those two starts. Smith came off the bench in the season-opener in San Antonio. He was the first sub into the game, checking in for Allonzo Trier six minutes into the first quarter.
Smith made his first shot of the season, a driving layup. It's been all downhill from there. DSJ has taken ten shots since that first bucket, and missed every single one of them. Unsurprisingly, he's been a sieve defensively as well.
New York is allowing a whopping 119 points per 100 possessions in the 26 minutes Smith has been on the court this season. And, somehow, the analytics are even worse on the other end of the floor. The Knicks are scoring just 74.1 points per 100 possessions with DSJ on the court. That's a mind-bogglingly rotten Net Rating of -44.8, for those keeping score at home.
It was clear that Smith needed to be benched Friday night in Brooklyn. He missed four shots in four minutes. Things hit what NY hopes is rock bottom Saturday night in the Knicks home opener. Smith missed all three of his FG attempts while tallying as many turnovers (two) as assist and rebounds combined. His body language looked worse than the form on his broken jumper. Yet, for some reason, Fizdale went back to the well in the second half.
The MSG faithful were fed up, booing Smith after missed jumpers and loudly chanting "We Want Frank," in the third quarter. After mercifully being subbed out, Smith untucked his jersey and wallowed on the end of the bench. Hearing the home crowd boo every time he uncorks a jumper is not exactly a confidence boost for a prideful athlete. And Fizdale has to shoulder that responsibility. It's incumbent upon a coach to have a feel for his troops, realizing that inexplicably leaving a struggling player in a game can do more harm than good.
That's one of the most frustrating aspects of Fizdale's handling of this debacle. He is not doing Smith any favors by throwing him out there. After Friday's terrible performance, the Knicks should have sat Smith down for at least a couple of games. They easily could have stated publicly that Smith's back was bothering him a bit and needed to give it a few days calm down. This strategy has been utilized countless times by teams/players in every professional sport for decades. Considering DSJ was not moving with his typical alacrity, appearing a step slow and somewhat stiff, it would have been an extremely plausible explanation. This would have allowed Smith to regroup mentally and physically, in the privacy of practice, not in front of 19,000 agitated New Yorkers desperate for a win.
Let DSJ get his mind right behind closed doors, and earn his way back on to the floor over time.
The Knicks end up being embarrassed on their home court in the second half Saturday night. They were outscored 72-44. Kemba Walker did the majority of the damage, pouring 21 of his 32 points in the second half alone, shooting 8-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-6 from 3-point territory. Guards Marcus Smart and Carsen Edwards chipped 22 in the game as well.
All the while, the Knicks best perimeter defender, Frank Ntilikina, inexplicably remained cemented to the bench. If you are getting zero contributions offensively from the backup PG spot anyway, might as well someone that is a notable upgrade on the other end of the floor.
Since arriving in New York, Fizdale has preached implementing a defense-first mentality but has often stubbornly stuck with offensive-minded players. Fizdale complains when the ball sticks, but allows ISO-reliant players to control the offense.
For instance, Marcus Morris is shooting 41% on the season, but has played 25 more minutes than Kevin Knox. And Fizdale has talked often about feeding a hot hand, but the Knicks have done a poor job putting Knox in positions to succeed. Over NY's first two games, Knox was shooting 10-of-17 from the floor and a scorching 7-of-8 from downtown. (Among NBA players who had attempted at least five 3-pointers, Knox was the only player in the league shooting better than 75% from behind the arc.) Yet, in the first half vs. Boston on Saturday, Knox got up just three shots, making two. Morris was 2-for-7.
The lack of a competent, reliable offensive system has been alarming. Far too often, New York's offense grinds to a halt in ISO ball. The lack of innovative sets to create open looks is undeniably concerning.
The Knicks are one of just three teams in the NBA dishing out fewer than 17.5 assists per 100 possessions this season. Those three squads (New York, Sacramento and OKC) are a combined 0-8 on the season. 64.6% of the Knicks made two-point FG's this season have been unassisted, which is the second-highest such mark in the league. This is a recurring problem. Last season, New York's percentage of unassisted made field goals (47.5%) was the highest in the NBA.
Ball security and sloppy play have also been significant obstacles to success. New York has committed 66 turnovers this season, more than any other team in the NBA. They have turned the ball over 51 times in the last two games alone. Per Basketball-Reference, it's the first time in over 13 years that the Knicks have committed 25+ TO's in back-to-back regular-season contests.
And, of course, defense remains an issue. The Knicks rank 22nd in the NBA in DefRtg and continue to be bedeviled by problems that plagued in 2018-19. They are allowing opponents far too many looks at wide-open 3-pointers, from the corners and straight away. New York is also allowing teams to shoot over 70% at the rim, which ranks 28th in the league. (This number should drop precipitously once Mitchell Robinson learns how to stay out of foul trouble.)
The aforementioned turnovers have also haunted New York. Knicks opponents are scoing 27.7 points per game off TO's, by far the most in the NBA.
The reality is the Knicks could have stolen either of their first two contests, which were tough road games against quality playoff teams. And they were competitive in the first half vs. Boston. So, it's not as if fans should abandon hope. A turnaround is possible. However, as I noted earlier in the week, it was vitally important, for several reasons, for New York to avoid stumbling out of the gates.
Well, they now find themselves in a 0-3 hole. It's incumbent upon not only the players, but also the coaching staff, to dig this team out.
Tommy Beers take on Fizdale so far in the season.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/tommybeer/2019/10/27/the-knicks-2019-20-season-is-off-to-a-horrendous-start-and-head-coach-david-fizdale-has-to-shoulder-some-of-the-blame/#25176a033b6
Back in July of 2018, shortly after he was hired to coach the Knicks and before he held his first official practice, David Fizdale avowed that all playing time in New York would be earned. Nothing was guaranteed. "I'm going to let them clash over it," the coach said in Las Vegas when asked about minutes allotted to individual players. "I don't want to guarantee anybody anything because it totally contradicts the culture. Everything is about, 'You keep what you kill.'"
"Roll that ball out and whoever takes the spot, takes the spot," he said.
Fizdale again echoed very similar sentiments at the start of the training camp this year. The Knicks brought in a bunch of veterans this offseason to compete for playing time, and Fiz promised only those players that earned minutes would see the floor.
Well, through a rough 1-3 preseason and three consecutive losses to open the regular season, some fans feel those soundbites ring a bit hollow.
Specifically, the curious case of Dennis Smith Jr. has drawn the ire of New Yorkers. Smith came into camp purportedly in great shape, ready to finally put it all together, making the most of his undeniable potential and dynamic athleticism. However, DSJ tweaked his back in practice on October 5th. This was concerning, considering Smith was sidelined for ten of the Knicks final 14 games in 2018-19 due to lingering lower back soreness.
Smith ended up missing New York's first two preseason contests, but started each of the final two. Still, he looked a step slow and struggled with his shot, converting just 17.6% of his FG attempts in those two starts. Smith came off the bench in the season-opener in San Antonio. He was the first sub into the game, checking in for Allonzo Trier six minutes into the first quarter.
Smith made his first shot of the season, a driving layup. It's been all downhill from there. DSJ has taken ten shots since that first bucket, and missed every single one of them. Unsurprisingly, he's been a sieve defensively as well.
New York is allowing a whopping 119 points per 100 possessions in the 26 minutes Smith has been on the court this season. And, somehow, the analytics are even worse on the other end of the floor. The Knicks are scoring just 74.1 points per 100 possessions with DSJ on the court. That's a mind-bogglingly rotten Net Rating of -44.8, for those keeping score at home.
It was clear that Smith needed to be benched Friday night in Brooklyn. He missed four shots in four minutes. Things hit what NY hopes is rock bottom Saturday night in the Knicks home opener. Smith missed all three of his FG attempts while tallying as many turnovers (two) as assist and rebounds combined. His body language looked worse than the form on his broken jumper. Yet, for some reason, Fizdale went back to the well in the second half.
The MSG faithful were fed up, booing Smith after missed jumpers and loudly chanting "We Want Frank," in the third quarter. After mercifully being subbed out, Smith untucked his jersey and wallowed on the end of the bench. Hearing the home crowd boo every time he uncorks a jumper is not exactly a confidence boost for a prideful athlete. And Fizdale has to shoulder that responsibility. It's incumbent upon a coach to have a feel for his troops, realizing that inexplicably leaving a struggling player in a game can do more harm than good.
That's one of the most frustrating aspects of Fizdale's handling of this debacle. He is not doing Smith any favors by throwing him out there. After Friday's terrible performance, the Knicks should have sat Smith down for at least a couple of games. They easily could have stated publicly that Smith's back was bothering him a bit and needed to give it a few days calm down. This strategy has been utilized countless times by teams/players in every professional sport for decades. Considering DSJ was not moving with his typical alacrity, appearing a step slow and somewhat stiff, it would have been an extremely plausible explanation. This would have allowed Smith to regroup mentally and physically, in the privacy of practice, not in front of 19,000 agitated New Yorkers desperate for a win.
Let DSJ get his mind right behind closed doors, and earn his way back on to the floor over time.
The Knicks end up being embarrassed on their home court in the second half Saturday night. They were outscored 72-44. Kemba Walker did the majority of the damage, pouring 21 of his 32 points in the second half alone, shooting 8-of-9 from the floor and 5-of-6 from 3-point territory. Guards Marcus Smart and Carsen Edwards chipped 22 in the game as well.
All the while, the Knicks best perimeter defender, Frank Ntilikina, inexplicably remained cemented to the bench. If you are getting zero contributions offensively from the backup PG spot anyway, might as well someone that is a notable upgrade on the other end of the floor.
Since arriving in New York, Fizdale has preached implementing a defense-first mentality but has often stubbornly stuck with offensive-minded players. Fizdale complains when the ball sticks, but allows ISO-reliant players to control the offense.
For instance, Marcus Morris is shooting 41% on the season, but has played 25 more minutes than Kevin Knox. And Fizdale has talked often about feeding a hot hand, but the Knicks have done a poor job putting Knox in positions to succeed. Over NY's first two games, Knox was shooting 10-of-17 from the floor and a scorching 7-of-8 from downtown. (Among NBA players who had attempted at least five 3-pointers, Knox was the only player in the league shooting better than 75% from behind the arc.) Yet, in the first half vs. Boston on Saturday, Knox got up just three shots, making two. Morris was 2-for-7.
The lack of a competent, reliable offensive system has been alarming. Far too often, New York's offense grinds to a halt in ISO ball. The lack of innovative sets to create open looks is undeniably concerning.
The Knicks are one of just three teams in the NBA dishing out fewer than 17.5 assists per 100 possessions this season. Those three squads (New York, Sacramento and OKC) are a combined 0-8 on the season. 64.6% of the Knicks made two-point FG's this season have been unassisted, which is the second-highest such mark in the league. This is a recurring problem. Last season, New York's percentage of unassisted made field goals (47.5%) was the highest in the NBA.
Ball security and sloppy play have also been significant obstacles to success. New York has committed 66 turnovers this season, more than any other team in the NBA. They have turned the ball over 51 times in the last two games alone. Per Basketball-Reference, it's the first time in over 13 years that the Knicks have committed 25+ TO's in back-to-back regular-season contests.
And, of course, defense remains an issue. The Knicks rank 22nd in the NBA in DefRtg and continue to be bedeviled by problems that plagued in 2018-19. They are allowing opponents far too many looks at wide-open 3-pointers, from the corners and straight away. New York is also allowing teams to shoot over 70% at the rim, which ranks 28th in the league. (This number should drop precipitously once Mitchell Robinson learns how to stay out of foul trouble.)
The aforementioned turnovers have also haunted New York. Knicks opponents are scoing 27.7 points per game off TO's, by far the most in the NBA.
The reality is the Knicks could have stolen either of their first two contests, which were tough road games against quality playoff teams. And they were competitive in the first half vs. Boston. So, it's not as if fans should abandon hope. A turnaround is possible. However, as I noted earlier in the week, it was vitally important, for several reasons, for New York to avoid stumbling out of the gates.
Well, they now find themselves in a 0-3 hole. It's incumbent upon not only the players, but also the coaching staff, to dig this team out.