Former New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale is one of the final eight candidates for the Suns gig. Fans in New York couldn’t believe it after Fiz went 21-83 leading the Knicks and didn’t survive his second season. It was a disastrous tenure that should scare off any potential suitor.
New York is gearing up for the conference finals against the rival Pacers. The Knicks hope to get some revenge after Indiana knocked them out in the second round of the playoffs in 2024. Jalen Brunson can raise his star further by leading the Knicks to the NBA Finals, but defeating the Pacers won’t be easy.
New York fans try to forget Fizdale’s tenure entirely. When the hate for Tom Thibodeau gets to be loud, fans love to remind others he’s not Fizdale. Nobody was happy in the Big Apple during Fiz’s run, which led to his abrupt firing. The Suns can’t repeat that mistake.
Knicks fans know David Fizdale is not the answer
The 50-year-old spent the last two seasons as an assistant on the Suns bench, which does not help his case for being named head coach. Phoenix underachieved twice, including missing the postseason entirely in 2025. He was an assistant with the Lakers in 2022 when they missed the playoffs. The track record from Fizdale has not been strong in recent years.
This summed up Knicks fans' feelings about him making the top eight in the Suns’ coaching search.
This shouldn’t come as a shock. Phoenix just hired a general manager with one year of front office experience and has watched owner Mat Ishbia make several reckless moves in recent years. His worst yet would be hiring Fizdale to lead their charge. Phoenix doesn’t control their draft picks and is light on assets. It is a rough situation that Fiz would only make worse.
In his lone full season leading the Knicks, New York won 17 games, which is tied for the lowest in franchise history. The Grizzlies fired him after just one full season because he feuded with Marc Gasol. The track record speaks for itself against Fiz at this stage.
Why do the Suns think anything will be different in Phoenix? If the franchise wants a fifth head coach in five years, they should hire David Fizdale. Otherwise, their focus should shift to the remaining names up for the gig. Two disastrous stints as a head coach and three straight years struggling as an assistant should tell the Suns all they need to know.
The New York Knicks are finally back. They survived some dark days but look like a serious title threat after knocking out the defending champion Celtics. Hiring Tom Thibodeau to replace David Fizdale was the start of that climb. Fans won’t soon forget, but they will laugh at the Suns if Fiz lands their head coaching gig.