New York Knicks: David Fizdale is a calculated risk taker, but will it work?
David Fizdale is the most important factor for the New York Knicks this season because the team is still so raw, there are a lot of unknowns. Fizdale has been a man of his word, now it’s just time to see if it pays off.
For the New York Knicks this season, it is the same story with different characters. This includes David Fizdale who now runs the show.
The Fizdale hire is ideal because he is non-traditional.
He will not run things like normal coaches will in the NBA. He isn’t hard pressed to let the star player run a team, he isn’t hellbent on having traditional guys playing the position of their size.
Rather, Fizdale’s plan is to mess around until he finds the right formula. His plan is to put start the five players who have earned the most up to that point.
As crazy as that sounds, it’s only crazy if it does not work. And as the Knicks prepare to open their season against the Hawks, the oddities will be aplenty.
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This Knicks starting five to open the season will be this:
Most of those make sense, again that is all based on what most coaches throw out there. Hardaway has played well, Kanter is a veteran who we know what we have, Burke needs the reps, Thomas is another vet. That is just the logic, not the reason they are starting.
The only thing that stands out is the Ntilikina is starting over Kevin Knox. Knox is supposed to the guy and took the summer by storm.
The problem is not even that Knox will not start his first NBA game in his first game. The problem is not him coming off the bench.
The only thing to question is why is it for Frank Ntilikina?
The Frenchman has not done anything wrong this preseason, per say, but to start him at shooting guard over Knox is interesting.
Again, it is not a poor decision. It is not the wrong decision. It is just a random one, it is unorthodox.
But, that is the point.
David Fizdale is not here to run things like everyone else. He does not have a system where certain types of players need to be in specific places on the floor at specific times.
Fizdale’s system with the young team is he will play whoever has shown him they can play. The Knicks are going to have three guards on the floor. The Knicks are going to have two centers.
Regardless of the mashup, it will be the five best players starting on any given night, at least that’s what Fizdale has shown.
His opening night lineup is nothing compared to what it will be down the road. The game against Atlanta seems to be the lineup he picked based off the preseason.
There is plenty of time for players to show what they got. There is plenty of time for players to work their way into a more consistent starting five.
But in a time of year where Kevin Knox could use a light schedule early on to get his feet wet, his coach finds it more useful for him to learn how to come off the bench.
These kinds of decisions are all risk. These five in the opening day lineup are likely not the five best players on the team.
David Fizdale is taking a risk by messing around with his lineup based on factors other than “the standard”
But, it comes with the right intention. He knows it is going to be a slow build. However, he knows it’s his job to build a winner, so he knows what he is doing.
David Fizdale is taking a calculated risk by doing things his way and by shuffling the players around hoping something can stick.
But, in a season where the wins already won’t be easy to come by, it will still be clear to everyone if his system is working or not.
That is also why Fizdale is the most important piece in this part of the Knicks’ history.
The players are only as good as the coach gets out of them. If Fizdale is messing up what they could be because he is looking too much at what they are now, that is not going to end well.
So, with the Knicks, like the many times before it, just enjoy the ride. It is going to be bumpy, it is going to come to many forks in the road.
One thing is for though, there has never been a driver like David Fizdale before he will take whatever route he wants, even the ones less traveled.
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There is a high chance that gets the Knicks to where they want to go, eventually.