Is Former Miami Heat Assistant David Fizdale Next In Line With The Los Angeles Lakers?
With Los Angeles Lakers coach Frank Vogel likely being gone this offseason, the organization will need to start to look for replacements.
The gambling website BetOnline has former Heat assistant David Fizdale as the current frontrunner for the position (+300). These odds put him ahead of veteran head coaches such as Utah Jazz coach Quin Snyder (+450) and Philadelphia Sixers coach Doc Rivers (+475).
David Fizdale served as the assistant coach for the Heat from 2008-2016. In his tenure with Miami, Fizdale went to four championships, winning two in 2012 and 2013. He was named associate head coach in 2014 after the retirement of former assistant/interim coach Ron Rothstein.
Fizdale was then hired as the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies. . In his first year, the Grizzlies went 43-39 and finished as the seventh seed in the Western Conference. Memphis lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the first round. The next season, Fizdale was fired after a 7-12 start, and was criticized after benching center Marc Gasol in the fourth quarter of a loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Fizdale was then hired as the head coach of the New York Knicks in 2018. The Knicks finished with a 17-65 record, which tied the 2014-15 team for worst record in franchise history. In 2019, Fizdale was fired after starting 4-18.
Fizdale was hired as the Lakers assistant head coach in 2021.
Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside The Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant
