If only for a day, Frankie Smokes should spark a celebratory cigar. Per ESPN, the New York Knicks signed David Fizdale to a four-year contract on Thursday, making him the 29th head coach in franchise history. The key takeaway from this hire? Phil Jackson?s reign of influence is finally, officially, over.
Leftovers from the Triangle are now a thing of the past. Fizdale has helped modernize both the Heat and the Grizzlies, and he?ll take his act to Madison Square Garden. Though Fizdale didn?t even have time to find a favorite ribs joint in Memphis?the Grizzlies hired him in 2016, his first head coaching job, only to fire him 19 games into the 2017-18 season?he did solidify his reputation as a player?s coach during his short time with the franchise. Fizdale?s work as a bigs whisperer goes back further to his time as an assistant with the Heat. ?I wouldn?t have a job right now as a head coach if Chris Bosh couldn?t shoot 3s,? Fizdale told ESPN in 2016. ?And he developed that in Miami.?
Fizdale helped Bosh transform into the prototypical stretch 4 that is now a staple for most frontcourts. In addition to becoming more comfortable from the perimeter on offense, he also became more effective defending the perimeter?two musts for most bigs these days. Also consider what he did with Marc Gasol: The big Spaniard attempted 588 3-pointers in the past two seasons combined; he attempted 66 in the previous eight. ?In my first conversation with Marc, I said, ?Well, you know I?m going to start taking you out if you don?t get up at least four 3-pointers a game,?? Fizdale told ESPN. ?And I think he about fell out of his chair when I said it.? Sure, Gasol didn?t exactly have a great relationship with the guy, and that likely influenced Fizdale?s eventual firing, but he?s now much better suited to survive in this era than he was before Fizdale?s tutelage.
In Memphis, Fizdale was tasked with taking an old team into the future, but he won?t need to play catch-up with his new franchise cornerstone this time around. Fizdale?s track record with Bosh is like getting double pink Starbursts in a Halloween two-pack for the Knicks: It bodes well for the actualization of Kristaps Porzingis?s potential as a unicorn, and also for the modernization of the Knicks? old-school offense in general.
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