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Standing in a scrum of reporters eagerly waving at recording devices to capture David Fizdale 's words, it was striking to see something interesting and unusual happening. An honest press conference with kindness had occurred with Fizdale, the newest member of the Knicks' burgeoning coaching fraternity.
Questions were asked in a hurry before a competitor could shoot first. The answers were expressed in a funny way. From time to time, one of them was worthy of a laugh or a laugh.
There was even a flash of news Tuesday at the conference in a corner of the Westchester-based team's training site: Forward Kevin Knox, Fizdale, revealed that his team did not would not start for the Knicks in his first game of the season Wednesday against the Atlanta Hawks in Madison. Square Garden, which the Knicks won in a 126-107 rout.
Yes, but not Fizdale, soon after Knox was drafted with the ninth choice of the N.B.A. draft last June, ensured the Knicks Nation that Knox, out of Kentucky, had a golden future, and that the re-enactment of the franchise could just as well get it in the thick of things?
"Heh, heh," said Fizdale, "the head coach reserves the right to change his mind."
Someone asked if this preemptive bench – for the insertion of last year's teenage add-on, Frank Ntilikina, at the small forward position – could shake the confidence of Knox, 19 years old.
"Well, he was playing very badly, so his confidence was already shaken," said Fizdale, although the word actually uttered by the coach was more outspoken than frank. wrong.
What was it? A Knicks head coach calling a player? And soon after, Fizdale used the term "stinky" to describe Knox's performance in the last three preseason games?
When was the last time anyone heard such a fiercely honest assessment around a team whose last three coaches spoke in such a monotonous voice that you wondered if their comments were computerized?
It may have been less of a comment on the affability of Jeff Hornacek, Derek Fisher and Mike Woodson than a statement about the stultifying environment of a franchise that carries the damning weight of its owner, James L. Dolan.
Do not exceed this proportion. The coach, who made his official debut at the Garden Party on Wednesday night with, as promised, a fast and catchy balloon brand, has touted his reputation for the 6 foot 9 inch Knox. He assured him that his alignments during a season devoted to youth development could have the permanence of a cycle of cable television.
At this point, Fizdale used 11 players in the first 12 minutes of play to score a team record of 49 points in the second quarter and a 72-49 lead at halftime. The Knicks were propelled by the lonely talents of Tim Hardaway Jr. and the innovative rookie Allonzo Trier, who opened his eyes to him, and whose driving dynamism was the highlight of the day.
For his part, Knox scored 10 points in 23 minutes, not hesitating to throw 16 shots, four. Chances are he will survive the rules of the game and Fizdale's rhetoric.
The new coach is not Hubie Brown. In the 1980s, he denigrated the players as relentlessly brushing his teeth – the most severe critic of the long line of Knicks coaches in and out of the world's most unstable basketball arena.
There is talk of a team gradually bringing together a core of virtual kids while waiting for the veteran founder – Kristaps Porzingis, 23 years old – to recover from a major knee surgery.
With a rousing team and a market as controversial as the one in New York, it does not hurt to have a coach who dominates, in part because today 's players grow up in a culture that bends over. more and more to the cult of reality TV. .
Personality breeds authority. And the story of the Knicks tells us that their most successful coaches of the last 30 years have been the speakers filling the columns, Rick Pitino, Pat Riley and Jeff Van Gundy.
To be fair, Woodson won 54 games in 2013 and the team's only playoff series since 2000 without a standing program. And his predecessor, Mike D'Antoni, was not spared the charm of his platoon by his self-deprecating charm, delivered with a draw, Virginian West.
It was also known that Dolan was never enthusiastic about the friendly nature of D'Antoni or Donnie Walsh, the executive who hired him. Could it be that Steve Mills and Scott Perry, president and CEO of the Knicks, had to sell Dolan to Fizdale, who said about his approach: "I can not pretend. I do not have time to pretend. I try to be honest and stay realistic as much as I can.
He had a lot of former Knicks coaches to help him prepare for the dual challenges of Dolan and New York.
"Mike Woodson is one of my mentors," said Fizdale. "Larry Brown is one of my mentors."
He also worked for Erik Spoelstra's staff in Miami, actually working for Riley, who has never dealt with Dolan but who has had his own experience in New York. Fizdale also reminded reporters that he was spending his summers around Pitino and Van Gundy.
"So it's like I have a good impression and an education of the whole package as I get there," he said. "Again, you can not really talk about it until you go through it."
Four months and many probable losses from now on, it will be perhaps less accommodating, even if it is only delusional certainly that the classification will reflect the quality of the work of Fizdale. A measurable growth of young players would be the best news until the return of Porzingis.
This is a comment that Fizdale made to reporters on Knox's first showing as a starter and which first caught my eye, asking, "Who is our starting point? Do some of you know how to tell me?
Imagine this by seeking the opinions of journalists, even jokingly. Call it what you want – awesome, casual, real – but it was a breath of fresh air. This comment must of course be moderated to correspond to the present moment. And despite their energetic departure against the deconstructed Hawks, many growing pains await these Knicks. Someone around the building should be able to say it as it is and make a joke.
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