If David Fizdale resurfaces on an NBA bench, it's a good bet that he returns to Miami as an assistant to again work with his good buddy Erik Spoelstra.
In the meantime, though, Spoelstra will continue to be an excellent spokesman for Fizdale. The Heat coach noted Sunday that he has benefitted from stability and support from team president Pat Riley and owner Mickey Arison, while Fizdale was thrust into an insecure situation.
"I just think it's a shame (he was fired). I think it takes a long time to build culture and they hired him for a reason. And it's not going to happen overnight," Spoelstra said. "I think he's just a brilliant basketball mind and teacher of the game. It's just unfortunate. I look at it all the time and compare it to our situation where we have incredible stability. ... It's a tough indictment on our profession (that so many coaches are fired so quickly).
"I think there's starting to be a little bit more value in understanding that it's a long game around the league. You're seeing more extensions earlier on and somebody, before you get to your final year, you're starting to see that league-wide. Even Mike Malone got back-to-back extensions (with the Nuggets) and he's doing a tremendous job there. It's not easy. You need support. You need stability from above. That's the most important thing, is your ownership and management. And we're the gold standard in that regard."
Spoelstra added that he has spoken frequently with Fizdale and the former Knicks coach isn't too down.
"He's always a glass-half full guy," Spoelstra said. "He'll be fine."
Fizdale went 21-83 with the Knicks. His replacement _ interim coach Mike Miller _ was 6-11 before Sunday's game against the Heat.
