Phoenix Suns associate head coach David Fizdale is expected to make the third round of interviews for their vacant head coaching position. Andscape’s Marc J. Spears reported the news.
Fizdale joins a list already including Jordan Ott and Johnnie Bryant (Cleveland Cavaliers), Sean Sweeney (Dallas Mavericks), Chris Quinn (Miami Heat) and Dave Bliss (Oklahoma City Thunder).
Spears also reported Fizdale has the support of some key Suns players.
He would be the only finalist with previous head coaching experience. Fizdale was a head coach for four seasons, two with the Memphis Grizzlies and two with the New York Knicks. He compiled a 50-51 record with the Grizzlies, a tenure which included his famous “Take that for data” rant. Fizdale was fired in his second season after starting out the 2017-18 season with a 7-12 record.
In New York, Fizdale had a 17-65 record during his first season, which was the worst in franchise history. After a 4-18 start in his second season, the Knicks decided to move on.
Fizdale’s most significant experiences have come as an assistant coach. He started with the Golden State Warriors in 2003-04 before moving on to the Atlanta Hawks for four seasons.
At 34 years old, he moved on to the most successful period of his career. Fizdale joined the Miami Heat, where he went to four straight NBA Finals working under Erik Spoelstra, including back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
Suns Can’t Be Criticized For Lack Of Diligence
New general manager Brian Gregory started this process with 15 candidates and is taking his time whittling the list down.
Phoenix has acted with haste since Mat Ishbia bought the team and this season’s massive failure appears to have caused a shift in mindset.
Isbhia called the season embarrassing before adding, “We’ve gotta do stuff different and change for the better.”
Once a head coach is hired, there will be a better idea of what the identity of this team will be moving forward. With that in place, we can then expect big changes to be made in order to align with that path.
