The Knicks starting lineup this season can’t be predicted right now. Not if what new head coach Dave Fizdale is saying will hold up, that the five starting jobs really are up for grabs. Of course, Kristaps Porzingis, when fully healthy, is expected to be a core starter. As for the rest of the team? Here’s the New York Post with more on this:
Tim Hardaway Jr. said he believes coach David Fizdale will make the right call on starters and won’t play favorites. Fizdale has opened up the competition for all five spots.
On the surface, Hardaway has an advantage, having known Fizdale for longer than any other Knick. Fizdale was first Miami’s video coordinator in 1997-98 when Hardaway’s father, Tim Sr., played for the Heat. And Tim Sr. was a scout for the team when Fizdale became a Heat assistant.
It would be an upset if the $71 million man isn’t starting at shooting guard opening night versus Atlanta on Oct. 17, but the 26-year-old Hardaway won’t win the job because of the close relationship between Fizdale and Hardaway’s father.
“He doesn’t show any favoritism to myself, treats everybody equal out here on the floor,’’ Hardaway said. “Growing up, knowing Fiz, going back to the days of my dad playing with the Heat, Pat Riley, he knew when I was out here running on the court as a little kid. Me going back after college, during college, and watching the Heat in the playoffs, saying a few words [to him]. It was just mutual respect.”
