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New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale talks about his team's pre-season loss of 110-98 against the Washington Wizards.
Chris Iseman, Editor, @chrisiseman

The decision was surprising on its surface.

David Fizdale had decided to put Kevin Knox on the bench just a few days after declaring that he still felt comfortable to start the rookie despite a difficult pre-season. Instead, he enrolled Frank Ntilikina in the starting lineup for the opening of Wednesday's season against the Atlanta Hakws at the Garden.

The decision came to what was won.

Ntilikina had played well in pre-season and had won the job. Knox had trouble and did not do it.

So Fizdale made the change.

Whoever starts on Wednesday does not dictate who will start on Friday or Saturday. Fizdale has made it clear that he could continue to make changes.

Nevertheless, the decision is important at the moment.

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This shows Fizdale's belief in the versatility and flexibility of Ntilikina. He sees the 20-year-old as a person capable of keeping in any position while playing with a playmaker mentality. This is a great opportunity for Ntilikina.

And it's probably time to stop considering him exclusively as a leader.

Fizdale said that he also thought the move could Knox. Maybe it's a spark, maybe it helps calm him down, maybe it adds extra motivation.

"I thought it might help Kevin to push a bit more," Fizdale said. "I want him to have something to do after a little more."

The fans weigh

Fizdale's decision certainly provoked some reaction from the fans. Here is an overview of what some people think of this move:

Emmanuel Mudiay

Fizdale said that Emmanuel Mudiay would probably not be available Wednesday night after Mudiay had "modified" his ankle during practice.

Forecast of the season

The Knicks will lose a lot of games this season. But their success this year can not be measured in gains and losses anyway.

But for love or argument, I predict they will get a record of 28-54.

The Celtics start strong

The regular season kicked off Tuesday night and the Boston Celtics continued to show that they were the best team in the Eastern Conference beating the Philadelphia 76ers, 105-87.

Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward were back and faced with early rust. Irving scored 2 of 14 points to finish with seven points, while Hayward had 10 points on 4 shots out of 12.

The most impressive player? Jayson Tatum.

He had 23 points on 9 shots out of 17 with nine rebounds, three assists and one steal.

Marcus Morris had 16 points and Terry Rozier 11.

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