Report links David Fizdale with Eastern Conference team

David Fizdale could soon find his way back into the East.

Veteran NBA writer Marc Stein reported this weekend on his Substack page that the Chicago Bulls have expressed interest in hiring former NBA head coach Fizdale as an assistant. Fizdale, 49, spent last season with the Phoenix Suns under then-head coach Frank Vogel, but the Suns did not retain any of their assistants after firing Vogel earlier this month.

Stein noted that the interest from the Bulls in Fizdale came before they hired another ex-NBA head coach to be an assistant on Billy Donovan’s staff. But it still seems possible that there will be another spot on Chicago’s staff for Fizdale to potentially fill.

Fizdale, who used to be the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies and later of the New York Knicks as well, seems to be better suited as an assistant coach. He holds a career winning percentage of just .346 as a head coach but has largely excelled as an assistant over the years. 

Fizdale has a decade-and-a-half of assistant coaching experience with five different teams and was part of two title-winning staffs with the Miami Heat in 2012 and 2013.

It appears that the Suns, after letting Fizdale go as an assistant, are trying to retain him in a different role, but he may not be interested. Should the Bulls have a coaching position to offer Fizdale, that could be a far more enticing option for him.