Former Knicks Coach Named Suns Candidate

The New York Knicks could see one of their former head coaches back in that role with another team next season.

CBS Sports writer Sam Quinn named former Knicks head coach David Fizdale as an option for the Phoenix Suns after they fired Mike Budenholzer just one season after bringing him aboard.

"David Fizdale was a Budenholzer assistant last season, but doesn't have the same ties to him that Jenkins does. He came up in Miami under Erik Spoelstra, had turns as the head coach for both the Grizzlies and Knicks, and then joined Vogel in Los Angeles. He followed Vogel to Phoenix, and, notably, stayed after Vogel was fired. Rarely will an assistant survive a regime change unless he has strong support from within the locker room," Quinn writes.

"Fizdale historically has. He was a favorite of LeBron James in Miami, and other players have sung his praises as well. If the idea here is to get a players' coach who can stabilize all of the dissent in the locker room over the past few years, Fizdale is a candidate the Suns know quite well."

Fizdale's familiarity with the Suns could make him an option if Phoenix wants to make just a minor pivot from Budenholzer. There is potential for the Suns to go in a completely different direction, and that would make his chances far less likely to return.

Fizdale, 50, was last a head coach for the Knicks during the 2019-20 campaign. He was hired by the Knicks in 2018, replacing Jeff Hornacek, who spent just two years with the team. Fizdale didn't last long in New York as he was fired after just 22 games in his second year with the team. His record was 21-83 across two seasons, but he could get a shot at redemption with the Suns.