New York Knicks: David Fizdale is focused on winning a championship

New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale understands that a long road lies ahead, but his goal is to lead the orange and blue to a championship.

The New York Knicks haven’t won an NBA championship since 1973. New York hasn’t made the NBA Finals since 1999, hasn’t reached the Conference Finals since 2000, and hasn’t reached the playoffs since 2013.

While those truths have been painful reminders of the franchise’s instability, there’s another way to interpret those realities: As motivation.

Recently hired Knicks head coach David Fizdale is embracing the latter mentality. He understands that it will be a process for New York to return to the promise land, but he’s a firm believer in the organization’s ability to overcome the odds that have been stacked against them.

In an interview with Andrejs Siliņš of SportaCentrs.com, Fizdale stated that his ultimate goal is to take the Knicks back to the championship (h/t Marc Berman of The New York Post):

"“I want to take the Knicks to the championship,” Fizdale said. “This is my main and greatest goal — to win the title for New York. Every morning is with this thought. Visiting Latvia and building of relationships with players so that they are more than simple coach-player relations, I believe that establishing such a link is a way to overcome the difficulties in the playoffs.”"

That’s easier said than done, but Fizdale’s aspirations of following in Red Holzman’s footsteps are certainly something to get behind.

This may sound like the ramblings of an ambitious head coach, but Fizdale is a two-time NBA champion already. He was an assistant coach for Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat from 2008 to 2016, securing titles in 2012 and 2013.

Fizdale was one of the most trusted members on Spoelstra’s staff, which gave him a unique perspective about what it takes to win a championship.

It’s an entirely different challenge to win a ring as a head coach, but Fizdale has a solid pedigree when it comes to winning in the NBA.

As a head coach, Fizdale led the Memphis Grizzlies to the playoffs during the 2016-17 NBA season. Coupled with what he’s achieved as an assistant coach, however, it’s only rational for Fizdale to target a championship in New York.

With a promising young core, a respected front office, and potentially significant cap space, Fizdale could make noise during the 2017-18 season.

The New York Knicks have a long road to travel to championship glory, but David Fizdale appears to be the man for the job.