Kevin Kernan

Kevin Kernan

NBA

Knicks’ overdue apology tour is bad news for David Fizdale

Unprecedented. Certainly long overdue.

Minutes after the Knicks were humiliated on the Garden floor Sunday night by the Cavs, 108-87, team president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry trudged into the interview room and kicked off the apology tour.

“We think the team is not performing to the level that we anticipated or we expected to perform at, and it is something that we think we have to collectively do a better job of delivering the product on the floor that we said that we would do at the start of the season,’’ Mills said, beginning his mea culpa.

“We still believe in the coaching staff. We believe in the plan that Scott and I put together and the players that we have assembled, but we also have to acknowledge that we haven’t played at the level we expected to play at. We’ve sort of seen glimpses of how we can play.

“I think it is important that we communicate to our fans that we are not happy where we are right now and we are committed to making this better. We have to as a group come together.’’

Yes, the Knicks are that bad yet again and no doubt coach David Fizdale’s job is on the line if the Knicks don’t show some level of success at home.

All that was missing was James Dolan.

Dolan, Mills and Perry were not in their seats in the third quarter and you can be sure the owner was letting his hirees know how unhappy he was at this latest putrid performance.

“Fix it” was certainly the mandate.

This was the second straight Sunday the Knicks were crushed at home, trailing by as much as 30 in the third quarter.

Fizdale admitted his team loses heart too quickly. He took ownership of the failures. How could a team that beat the Mavericks in Dallas be so bad at the Garden?

The Knicks are 2-8, same record as the Giants.

What spurred the apology tour?

“We are not happy with where we are,’’ Mills said.

What does Dolan feel about his inferior product?

“Jim still believes in the plan that we put together,’’ Mills said, “but he’s passionate about this as we are so he would want us to have better result on the floor as well. Jim is a fan and believes in what we are doing but he has the same kind of expectations that we have and this is really about what we feel and what we should be delivering as a group. We’ve talked to him during the game. I talk to him all the time over the course of the game.

“We believe in Coach and the group.”

David Fizdale
David FizdaleCorey Sipkin

For awhile. Perry said, “We’ve been below the line to this point, but hopefully this next stretch of 10 games, we’ll be above that line and be more consistent.’’

That sounds like a 10-game ultimatum.

“We’ve got to keep pounding the rock, if you will, until it finally takes over,’’ Perry said.

Or Fizdale could be pounding the pavement.

“I live in that sense of urgency,’’ Fizdale said. “I don’t need anyone to speak to give me a sense of urgency. I’m not cruising through this thing like I got a bunch of time to get a team together. I appreciate them speaking on my behalf and speaking about our team but I live in that.

“The work is being put in but it is not transferring right now. I’ll figure that out.’’

He admitted he had no idea why the team was so flat. He knows he is under the gun, although he foolishly said, “We are two games from the eighth seed.’’

He also said shoot-around was “great.’’

Maybe the Knicks should start selling tickets to shoot-around.

Mills said if the Knicks delivered the same effort they delivered in Dallas, “We probably wouldn’t have come out. We expected a more complete game of basketball tonight. We’re not here focused on the record. We are focused on improvement and delivering a consistent effort. If we play with the kind of effort we played against Dallas, we’ll win basketball games.’’

Then there would be no apologies needed for this roster, this coach, this management team and this owner.