Recently, our friends over at Sir Charles in Charge ranked David Fizdale as the 30th best coach in the NBA. Although they cited lack of experience to the extent they couldn’t even justify a rank, I’ll explore why he is at least better already than a few coaches out there.
David Fizdale is a fist-year coach in the NBA. He has zero head coaching experience at any level, but has been an assistant in the NBA since 2003. Sir Charles in Charge obviously has their reasons for their ranking, citing:
"This is his first time he will be the head coach of any team in the professional ranks, and that’s not an easy thing to project. He did great in his role as an assistant with the Miami Heat, and there’s no question that his experience with a team like that (a championship-level franchise) will do wonders for him in Memphis."
Yes, that makes sense. Lack of experience can be something big to overcome, especially when you are a new unknown commodity. Heck, a Memphis newspaper was clueless about who he even was. And it’s true that even with a talented roster, Fizdale could mishandle rotations. There’s no guarantee that he will lead Memphis to the playoffs, especially with one of the thinner benches. (although, a few signings could fix that.) However, I’m pretty darn positive that they are wrong and that Fizdale is at this moment, better than a few coaches in the NBA.
First, lets take a look at some of the coaches ahead of Fizdale and then compare and contrast.
Next: Spots in front of Fizdale