Former Knicks Coach Mocks Nets
Former New York Knicks coach David Fizdale mocked the Brooklyn Nets this past week.
He seemed to take particular issue with the organization’s decision to get rid of the recently-fired Kenny Atkinson.
“When it comes to players with power, your front office has to really be strong and your culture has to be strong to weather disgruntled players,” Fizdale said on ESPN.
“And you have to have a certain amount of support for your coach so when things get turbulent.”
To Fizdale, Atkinson’s dismissal was worse for him than his own.
“It’s a punch to the gut to see a colleague like that who went through the mud with the organization and really started with the foundation and really helped build the team to where it is,” Fizdale said.
“It as a kick in the stomach to hear that. Even more than my situation. I was 4-18. I can take it. I’m a big boy. But I think to see Kenny under the circumstances, they were seventh seed in the East, he had taken that team from a lot of Ls to now a team that was starting to become a regular in the playoffs.
“And to see that happen so abruptly, when it happened, the way it happened, it was a kick in the stomach.”
There have been a lot of mixed messages regarding why Brooklyn ultimately made the move it made. Hopefully in the coming months there will be some clarity on the logic behind the decision.
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