Lakers Finalizing Deal to Hire David Fizdale as Assistant Coach

It seems as if LeGM is getting his favorite assistant coach back in David Fizdale, according to Woj:

The Lakers are finalizing a deal to hire former Knicks and Grizzlies coach David Fizdale as an assistant coach, sources tell ESPN.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2021

The two were last together when Fizdale was an assistant in Miami in 2014. This hire is to make up for the loss of Jason Kidd to the Mavericks and will be the first time Fizdale has coached a team since the Knicks in 2019.

Good Assistant Coach

There are a few big roles assistant coaches have on any given NBA team. One of these is to be what’s called a “player’s coach” and build relationships with every guy in the locker room. This is an area in which David Fizdale has excelled in the past. Besides his complete incompetence and inability to run a basketball team, he has been beloved by his players. This is part of the reason LeBron James vouched for him to become the head coach of the Knicks. However, this did not work out.

As head coach of the Knicks, Fizdale went a laughable 21-83 in 2 years. He was fired in the middle of the 2019-2020 season. As everyone knows, New York brought in Tom Thibodeau, and they made the playoffs for the first time in 8 years. What I’ve said from the start is that Fizdale is one of the best assistant coaches in the league. His ability to communicate with his players is what made him so appealing for a HC job. But, he turned out to be one of the worst head coaches of all time. What he did with the Knicks in his 2 years there was very indicative of his weaknesses as a coach. Leading a team just isn’t something he’s able to do.

Whatever Makes LeBron Happy

It’s no secret that LeBron James is a huge supporter of David Fizdale. Just look at what he said when Fizdale was fired by the Knicks:

“I don’t know, I didn’t really have too much of a reaction…I think the conversation was talked about for quite a while. Coach Fiz is a great coach, great communicator, he can try to motivate his players. I haven’t had an opportunity to talk to him since it happened. But I wish him the best, and that’s all that matters.”

Lebron James via SNY

Because of that relationship, this hire makes complete sense. I actually think Fizdale will thrive in LA, just as he did in Miami. As long as he never even sniffs the job of head guy, this could work out well for years to come. Congrats to Fizdale.

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