Incremental steps. Consistent progress. Tangible results. These are some of the objectives Knicks head coach David Fizdale will in some form or another preach to his team and articulate to the media over the course of this season. The last intent is decidedly the most meaningful as they opened their regular season last night (Wednesday) on the road against the San Antonio Spurs.
It is imperative the Knicks be more than just competitive, showing they can play on a near equal level with most of their opponents. The outcomes must be reflected in wins, which have been hard to come by for the franchise for the past two decades. The Knicks are 163-329 over the previous six seasons, including a league worst 17-65 last season, Fizdale’s first at the helm. They haven’t been to the playoffs since the 2012-13 campaign and haven’t been above .500 since 2013 under former head coach Mike Woodson.
Winning 41 games and reaching that mark this season will be problematic as Fizdale attempts to effectively integrate a roster full of new players that features a group of returning youngsters trying to find their way in the large fishbowl that is Madison Square Garden.
If the preseason was an indication of how the Knicks will manage, at least early this season, they will be a slow work in progress. The Knicks finished 1-3 and are conclusively further along defensively than offensively. They reached 100 points only once in their four games, scoring 116 in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans at the Garden last Friday.
While Fizdale spent much of the preseason mixing lineups, trying to get a firm read on what groupings performed most efficiently and cohesively facing various opposing lineups and situations, the schedule ended with more questions than answers.
“The shorter preseason lends itself more to the teams [that are] established,’’ he said after facing a Pelicans team minus rookie sensation Zion Williamson, who underwent knee surgery earlier this week to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. “For teams like us, I wish we had eight games. You try to juggle it, see as much as you can in those four games to get a pulse of your team.”
The Knicks will be tested early. In addition to the Spurs, they are in Brooklyn tomorrow to play the Nets before their home opener Saturday against the Boston Celtics.