NEW YORK _ The Knicks have fired coach David Fizdale on the heels of back-to-back blowout losses.
The Knicks lost 129-92 to the Nuggets at home Thursday night, in an effort Fizdale called "sickening." That came three days after losing by 44 to the Bucks. ESPN reported the firing on Friday.
The Knicks are 4-18, the second-worst record in the NBA.
Assistant coach Keith Smart was fired as well, and ESPN reports that remaining assistants Mike Miller and Pat Sullivan are the team's candidates for interim head coach.
Fizdale's 21-83 record gave him the worst winning percentage (.202) in franchise history.
Whoever immediately replaces Fizdale, he'll be facing a brutal stretch of the schedule. The Knicks host the Pacers Saturday night before a road trip against the Blazers, Warriors, Kings and Nuggets.
The Knicks have lost eight straight games. Fizdale's firing comes two years and a week after he was fired by the Grizzlies, also following an eight-game losing streak. Fizdale ran a full practice Friday afternoon before the firing, and apparently believed he'd be making the lineup for Saturday's game against Indiana.
Fizdale's firing became inevitable when the Knicks front office held a surprise press conference last month to proclaim their disappointment in the team. He's the tenth man to coach the Knicks since 2005; all except for Mike Woodson had a losing record.
Last year's 17-65 record was the worst in the NBA and the worst franchise history. After trading away Kristaps Porzingis, that team was supposed to be well-positioned for the draft and free agency. Instead of Zion Williamson, they ended up with RJ Barrett; instead of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, they ended up with Julius Randle and Bobby Portis.
Fizdale was imperfect with the Knicks, jerking around some young players and burying others. But the team is not underperforming. Steve Mills and Scott Perry stacked this team with middling power forwards and built it to fail. In spite of the roster, though, Mills blithely declared last month that "the team is not performing to the level that we anticipated."
