New York Knicks rookie sensation Kristaps Porzingis is having a great season overall, but one thing he did not expect was the firing of his very first head coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA), Derek Fisher.
Fisher was sacked by the Knicks last Monday after less than two seasons because of his failure to guide the team to a winning record.
The departure of Fisher was a surprise to Porzingis, who is playing well even if New York is struggling to make it to the top eight in the Eastern Conference standings.
"I saw Coach right before he was leaving [and] I said goodbye to him," Porzingis said Monday, according to ESPN.
"It was a shock for me at that moment when he said he wasn't going to be my coach anymore. He said some good words to me, and I am very thankful for what he did for me and I told him that," the 20-year-old Latvian continued.
After Fisher was relieved off his duties, Kurt Rambis was named the interim head coach for the Knicks.
Despite having a new main man on the sideline, Porzingis still had a great showing in the Knicks' first game without Fisher.
The 2015 fourth-overall pick tallied 20 points, five rebounds, three assists, and three rejections in Tuesday's 111–108 defeat to the Washington Wizards at the Madison Square Garden.
Because of his splendid season, Porzingis is being dragged to trade rumors, especially now that the deadline is nearing (Feb. 18), but Knicks president Phil Jackson already expressed that they have no interest in trading the rookie and All-Star forward Carmelo Anthony.
Regarding the coaching job in New York, many experienced coaches are being linked to the team, although there is no significant move accomplished yet.
The Knicks are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 23–32 record, riding a six-game losing streak.
