With the New York Knicks firing David Fizdale today, would it make sense for the Pelicans to try to bring him on in some capacity?
Today, the New York Knicks fired David Fizdale after less than two years as head coach in which he went 21-83, including a 4-18 start to this season. The New Orleans Pelicans are off to a similarly bad start to this year after entering it with high hopes, finding themselves 6-16 just over a quarter of the way through the season. Would it make sense of the Pelicans to take advantage of the Knicks misfortunes and try to bring in David Fizdale in some capacity?
In order to hire him as a head coach, the Pelicans would, of course, have to fire Alvin Gentry. Gentry has had an okay run as coach with the Pelicans, but has only had one winning season in four years and, barring a truly miraculous turnaround, is not likely to have another one this year.
While the Pelicans have been marred by injuries and uncertainty surrounding the roster for a large chunk of his tenure, at some point, excuses grow tiresome and a change is needed. I’m not sure if that time is now, but if the Pelicans continue to struggle with few signs of growth, it may come soon.
Fizdale has been a victim of circumstance himself throughout his brief time as a head coach. He was essentially the fall guy for the Memphis Grizzlies as they struggled due to injuries to Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, being fired after just 19 games into his second year with the Grizzlies after they started 7-12.
And the Knicks are a well known bastion of dysfunction, making success for any coach seem less than likely. Perhaps all Fizdale needs is a more stable organization backing him than he has had in the past and with David Griffin trying to right the proverbial ship in New Orleans, maybe it would be a good landing spot for him.
Perhaps the best option would be potentially bringing in Fizdale as an assistant coach for the rest of the year, if he were willing to accept such a position. Fizdale was a very good assistant for the Miami Heat during their big three era, playing a pivotal role for the team from the bench as they made four consecutive trips to the Finals and won two championships.
During his time with the Heat, he developed a reputation as a bit of a player development guru, helping players reach their potential and bring previously untapped abilities to fruition. However, his time with the Knicks calls some of those abilities into question, but one must remember that he was forced to balance player development with the team’s desire to win immediately with a hastily thrown together roster of middling free agents. In such a situation, no one is going to come out looking good.
If the Pelicans were to hire Fizdale, they would have another coach on the bench who could potentially help young players like Zion Williamson, Jaxson Hayes, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Brandon Ingram, and Lonzo Ball, among others, reach their potential, which would be immensely valuable to the team.
Also, that way, in case the team did decide to fire Gentry at some point during this season, they would have an interim who already has head coaching experience — fitful as it may have been. It would be mutually beneficial for both sides if that were to happen because then Fizdale would have another chance to prove himself as a head coach while the Pelicans would get to see if he would be a good fit for the team long term.
The question is largely whether or not Fizdale would even want to take such a position. After being a head coach the last few seasons, would he be willing to take a temporary step back as an assistant? Also, he is still owed millions of dollars by the Knicks so he has no real incentive to take on a job that does not feel like a perfect fit for him.
However, if he were interested, it could certainly be useful for both sides for the Pelicans to bring him on as an assistant, at least for the remainder of this season. With a team as young as this one, another player development coach certainly could not hurt. It’s the logistics where things get complicated.