Knicks · It’s time to fire fiz (page 4)

I don't see any point in firing him now. But I expect that he will be fired by Feb/Mar so that we can get a look at anyone of interest on our staff plus get a head start on the competition. The front office should get fired too but that's a subject for another day.

franco12 wrote:

Uptown wrote:Who says NY fans ain't patient Who said you can't rebuild in NY

I'm patient.

But what happened to DSjr? I mean, we don't even have the DSjr from last year. Just come out and say he's hurt or something.

And Fiba Frank? Not even a hint of him. Deer in headlights Frank instead.

And here is the thing for me about Fizdale. After the SA game, clearly Payton is our best PG. Why did it take a game for Fizdale and the coaching staff to figure that out? I knew that from before, and I'm not watching practice.

I like Fizdale. I think he is articulate, but I'm starting to wonder about his approach here. Maybe he is too focused on his approach like Phil was with the triangle.

Maybe we need someone like a Hubie Brown who called every play, a Jeff Van Gundy where the offense is stupid simple to build a foundation of habits for these players.

And then, after they master stuff, start adding wrinkles, the read and reacts.

But right now I think maybe we need - you stand there, you pass the ball here, if he is open, pass it - otherwise, you make your move.

I would love for JVG to come back. I heard he upgraded to an Accord.

Uptown wrote:Fiz could be in over his head for all we know but last year was clearly a tank job and an evaluation of the roster. This season will reveal some things about Fiz as a coach, however, this is still a roster of several odd parts that don't fit and need time to gell. In today's NBA, if you do not have a really good pg and 3 point shooters, its going to be tough to keep up with the rest of the league. During the last 10 seconds of the Blazers/Mavs, I watched Terry Stotts call a clear out for pg, Lillard to go one on one score the game winner. If a coach doesn't have access to elite level talent, then he has to be a little more innovative, I get that. But in the end, its a players league. The best players win.

I dont have many complaints about the front office, but they did not do Fiz any favors. We should have turned the keys over to Frank and Dennis. I thought it was a bad idea to sign Peyton. If we felt we needed a pg upgrade, we should have signed someone who is undeniably better than both Frank and Dennis, and Peyton is not that. One of Morris and Randle would have been fine, not both IMO. Also, I get the idea of singing 1 year rentals as we are able to clear the decks in the summer, but it's not easy on a coach when you have some guys trying to "get theirs" as they know they are not a part of the long term future.

What you say *can be true* but there are other avenues as well.

If you read the streams of Twitter and forum posts on the subject, there's a large loud contingent who insist that "We don't have a PG" and "We need a premiere PG".

I disagree. I think we have three young, potentially great PGs here in NY. DSJ, however, may have back injuries that render his potential null as his game is wholly dependent on athleticism.

But both Payton and Frankie were highly touted draft picks and both have yet to reach the 5 year NBA threshold for becoming the player they will become. The argument can be made that fans would prefer a 5 year proven and well-rounded version of either but that's not the team we have at the moment. They are all young for the most part.

Its okay. We aren't winning a ring this year. We just aren't. To sweat the PG position as a show-stopper is ludicrous - play who we have - they will meet us when and where we are ready to compete seriously. Its that simple. And we'll learn to win along the way.

And I think sometimes the best players win but other times the best teams win. If we win it will be in the latter category.

I think the FO surrounded Fiz with exactly the lunch pail players he is most comfortable with. I actually think that's what will make a coaching change that much harder.

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 them 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 scoring 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.

we weren't tanking last season, that was fiz trying his best

The entire Training camp was focusing on defense..lol

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