As Mike Miller prepares for his first game as Knicks interim head coach on Saturday night, he met with the media for the first time since David Fizdale was fired.

Here are the biggest takeaways from what Miller had to say before Saturday's tipoff with the Pacers:

Thanking the team

Miller, who spent four seasons at the helm of the Westchester Knicks of the G League before making the jump to an assistant with Fizdale this season, started his press conference by thanking Fizdale and the Knicks.

"I would like to thank Coach Fiz for the opportunity to be a part of his staff and to work with such a great group of coaches," said Miller. "I'm very appreciative there, and [I] would like to thank the entire Knicks organization. I've been here, as you know, this is my fifth year working for the Knicks, and I'm very appreciative to the entire organization for giving me the opportunity to start and work my way up into the organization." 

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

We're basically a week away from the unofficial start to the trade season. On Dec. 15, players who signed contracts as free agents can be moved. 

As that date approaches, the Knicks (4-18) are keeping an eye on potential moves that would improve the team, per SNY sources familiar with the matter. 

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

As noted on Friday, the spotlight is on Knicks president Steve Mills in the wake of David Fizdale's firing. 

We detailed here where things stood with Mills and general manager Scott Perry prior to the Fizdale firing. 

On Friday, the New York Knicks fired head coach David Fizdale just 22 games into his second season. Unhappy with the 4-18 start to the year, management decided it was time to move in another direction.

What that direction ends up being is anybody's guess, but in the meantime they pegged Mike Miller as interim head coach. That name might not have the punch of a Mark Jackson or Becky Hammon, but Miller may turn out to be exactly what the Knicks need, and should be considered as more of a contender for the vacancy than a stopgap.

Miller hails from the G League, where he coached the Westchester Knicks - New York's affiliate - for four seasons. In that stretch he made the playoffs three times and amassed a .540 regular season win percentage.

Knicks shooting guard Wayne Ellington is out for Saturday's matchup against the Indiana Pacers with a sore left Achilles, the team announced.

Ellington has appeared in 18 of the team's 22 games this season, but is averaging just over 14 minutes per game in his first year with the Knicks. He's in the midst of the worst year of his 11-season NBA career, averaging career lows in field goal, free throw, and three-point percentage, and has reached double-figures in points just twice.

Allonzo Trier, who fell out of the rotation during the second half of November, has appeared in the last two games and could see more minutes in Ellington's absence. Damyean Dotson should also get more of an increased role when the Knicks tip-off against the Pacers at 7:30 p.m. at Madison Square Garden.

After a 37-point drubbing at the hands of the Denver Nuggets, the New York Knicks are in bad shape. They've lost eight consecutive games, and they've lost by at least 28 points in three of their last five contests.

After the Knicks struck out on superstar free agents Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, they added several mid-tier veterans. With hopes of being competitive while retaining cap flexibility in the future, the Knicks signed five different players to two-year contracts. 

All five deals featured a team option or a partial guarantee in the second year. That makes those five players essentially expiring contracts in the trade market. Add in a one-year deal for Marcus Morris, and the Knicks have six veterans who will likely enter the free agent market this summer.

On Friday, the Knicks parted ways with head coach David Fizdale and turned the reins over to Mike Miller on an interim basis.

Miller had been an assistant under Fizdale since the beginning of this season, but he hadn't had any NBA exposure prior to this year. 

Here's everything fans need to know about the Knicks' new interim head coach:

- Miller, 55, is a native of Monmouth, Ill. After graduating from Monmouth High School, he played college hoops at East Texas State, helping the team win a Lone Star Conference title in 1984. He graduated in 1987.

San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich can often be tight-lipped with the media, though there are always certain topics that he feels the need to speak out on.

David Fizdale's firing fell into that category.

Popovich met with reporters on Friday, after the news broke about Fizdale's firing, and without being asked, defended the former Knicks head coach.

With the team's record dropping to 4-18 after an embarrassing 37-point home loss to the Denver Nuggets, it was utterly predictable when the New York Knicks fired head coach David Fizdale in a Friday afternoon news dump. 

Just as predictable was the resounding chorus that cropped up in wake of the move, declaring that Fizdale was not the problem in New York. 

Unquestionably, that is true. 

Retired NBA player Metta World Peace, formerly known as Ron Artest, tweeted out his interest in becoming the head coach for the Knicks on Friday afternoon.

"If the @nyknicks is available, I definitely want to head coach there," World Peace said. "I will absolutely bring that street mentality to the garden...This would be epic for all people like me. Straight from the jungles to win a title in NYC."

World Peace, 40, was born and raised in Queens, NY and attended St. John's University from 1997-1999. He played 17 seasons in the NBA from 1999-2014 and then from 2015-2017, including a brief stint with the Knicks during the 2013-14 season. He was named NBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 while with the Indiana Pacers, and won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2010.

The Knicks made the firing of David Fizdale official on Friday evening, naming assistant Mike Miller as the team's interim head coach.

Miller, 55, has been an assistant with the Knicks this season after spending the previous four seasons as the head coach of the team's G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks. 

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

David Fizdale is out. Here we take a look at potential candidates for the job -- assuming that their interim head coach doesn't coach well enough to do the job. It also assumes that team president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry are the execs who hire the next full-time coach (here's a look at why that may not be the case). 

Anyway, assuming Mills and Perry are making the call, below is a look at some potential candidates: 

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

The Knicks have parted ways with head coach David Fizdale. Now, the focus turns to Knicks president Steve Mills. 

Mills and Knicks general manager Scott Perry hired Fizdale after an extensive coaching search in 2018. 

The plan then was for Mills, Perry and Fizdale to build a winning culture in New York by developing young players and attracting stars. 

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |

The Knicks have fired head coach David Fizdale, SNY's Ian Begley confirmed. The news was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

At 4-18, the club is on pace for the worst season in franchise history and has lost eight consecutive games.

New York fired Fizdale on Friday, a day after a 37-point loss to the Denver Nuggets. In their previous game, the Knicks had lost by 44 points to the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Knicks have gotten off to a rough start this season and currently sit at the bottom of the eastern conference at 4-18. With their recent struggles added to what was a brutal free agency for the team this offseason, head coach David Fizdale has found himself in the hot seat.

SNY's Ian Begley reported earlier this week that one member of the organization said late last month that he expected management to fire Fizdale soon. This came after the Knicks were blown out by the Bucks 133-88. Since then, the Knicks were blown out again 129-92--this time on their home floor by the Nuggets.

"I don't think about that stuff, I don't think about it at all" Fizdale said, when asked if he thinks he'll be given the time to turn things around for the Knicks. "I go into everyday as 'I come in here, I see 17 guys that I've got to make better and I see a team in Indiana that we've got to try and go out and beat,' and I take it day-by-day that way."

The Knicks are sitting not so comfortably at the bottom of the eastern conference and are in the midst of the worst five-year stretch in franchise history, but don't expect NBA commissioner Adam Silver to step in to help them any time soon.

Speaking to WFAN on Thursday, the commissioner didn't leave any doubts concerning his stance on potentially interfering with the Knicks.

"I wouldn't. It's not my role," Silver said. "Of course, I work for 30 teams. And the 29 other teams want to beat that team. That's not to say me getting involved (would be good) and that I'm in any better position to know what to do. We set the rules. And then we try to have a level playing field for the teams to compete."

For the first time in franchise history, the Knicks have lost back-to-back games by 30-plus points.

Thursday's 129-92 loss at home to the Denver Nuggets was the fifth game this season that the team has trailed by 30 or more in a game, with three of those games coming at home. 

Perhaps the biggest issue for the Knicks came on the defensive end, as they allowed the Nuggets to shoot a lofty 21-39 (.538) from three-point range on the night.

The Knicks lost their second straight game in blowout fashion, as the Nuggets came into Madison Square Garden on Thursday and left with a 129-92 win. >> Box Score

Five things to know from Thursday's game

1) The Knicks led by six points with five and a half minutes to go in the first quarter, and while that opening stretch was a noticeable improvement over their last game against the Bucks, things were all downhill from there. The Knicks struggled particularly in defending the three-pointer, as Denver found open shot after shot from beyond the arc. Overall, the Nuggets shot 21-39 (.538) from beyond the arc. This was the fifth game this season that Knicks have trailed by 30-plus points, with three of them coming at home. 

Carmelo Anthony has seemingly silenced any and all doubters since making his return to the NBA this season with the Portland Trail Blazers.

After being named Western Conference Player of the Week on Monday, Anthony has now had his contract fully guaranteed by the Blazers, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. 

The Blazers officially announced Anthony's signing on November 19, signing him to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract at the time.

Wojnarowski notes that the Blazers had until early January to make a decision on guaranteeing the contract, but it looks like they've seen enough from the former Knick to want him around for at least the rest of the season.

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

As the Knicks (4-17) prepare to host the Denver Nuggets (13-5) Thursday at Madison Square Garden in New York, here are several notes from Wednesday's practice.

With seven straight losses, the Knicks continue to search for their first win since Nov. 18's 123-105 victory against the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they should get a big boost in the lineup.

Marcus Morris should return for the Knicks against Denver after missing two games with a neck injury (more on that below). New York should also have Elfrid Payton and Frank Ntilikina vs. the Nuggets.

Allonzo Trier finally found his way back into the Knicks' lineup in their blowout against the Bucks on Sunday night after posted DNPs in the previous two. And unfortunately for him, that has been common of late. 

Trier's name hasn't come up a lot for the Knicks, and that is probably due to the fact that he has only played in two of the last 10 games. He had six straight DNPs before David Fizdale played him for seven minutes against the Raptors on Nov. 27. 

In fact, Trier has only played in 10 of the Knicks' 21 games this season, and the logjam in the backcourt is the main reason why. 

It's been months since they made their decision, but Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant continue to catch flak for choosing the Nets over the Knicks. This time, the shot comes from rapper and New York's own Fat Joe.

Speaking with Sports Illustrated on Wednesday, Joe said that the two NBA All-Stars didn't want to deal with the pressure of being a Knick, yet still wanted to play in New York. The alternative, then, was to go to Brooklyn.

"You got to understand a lot of players, and I'll call them out: Kyrie, Durant. They didn't want that New York Knick pressure," Joe said. "They didn't want that media attention. They didn't want Sports Illustrated being right in the backyard. They didn't want that, so they said, 'Alright, we want New York, but let's do the lesser of the drama. Let's go to Brooklyn.'"

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

Former Celtics great Kevin Garnett wasn't surprised that Kyrie Irving left Boston in the offseason to sign with the Brooklyn Nets. 

"No," Garnett said during an interview in New York to promote the film, 'Uncut Gems,' which stars Garnett and Adam Sandler and will be released on Christmas. 

Garnett explained why he wasn't shocked that Irving didn't want to re-sign with the Celtics. 

We are at about the quarter-way point of the NBA season and the Knicks find themselves with the second worst record in the league and at the bottom of the Eastern Conference.

At 4-17, the Knicks have fallen to new lows and are on pace to break the record they tied last season for the worst season in team history. 

Head coach David Fizdale has been in an extremely hot seat ever since Knicks president Steve Mills and GM Scott Perry held a rare press conference after the team started the season 2-8. 

Since then, the Knicks have gone 2-9.

The lingering question after the Knicks' 44-point loss in Milwaukee is this: how much longer will David Fizdale be on the sidelines?

We don't have a definitive answer, but one member of the organization said late last month that he expected management to fire Fizdale soon, per SNY sources. The person who expressed the thought isn't someone who would make the decision to fire Fizdale. But the idea that a member of the Knicks believes a coaching change is coming says a lot about the level of uncertainty in New York right now.

As you know, there has been speculation about Fizdale's job status for several weeks amid New York's 4-17 start.

The Knicks never led in Monday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks and dropped their seventh straight game, 132-88. >> Box Score

Five things to know from Sunday's game

1) Milwaukee jumped out to a 33-15 lead after the first quarter and coasted the rest of the way to a victory. Khris Middleton's three-pointer on the first position of the game set the tone, and the Knicks were never closer on the scoreboard than they were at the opening tip-off.

Frank Ntilikina is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Bucks, the Knicks announced. 

Ntilikina had been listed as questionable earlier in the day, but with the point guard's status up in the air, the team brought in Kadeem Allen from Westchester. 

Ntilikina played just seven minutes in Sunday's loss to the Celtics before being removed due to back spasms. Dennis Smith Jr. played a season-high 38 minutes in his absence, scoring 17 points, another season high. 

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |

Amid a miserable start to this Knicks season, there have been a few positive developments. Frank Ntilikina has shown that he's -- at the very least -- a capable NBA rotation player in the league. Marcus Morris has shot incredibly well from beyond the arc (52 percent). And, of course, there's RJ Barrett.

On most nights, Barrett has impacted the game on both ends of the floor and played with a poise and awareness that you wouldn't expect from a 19-year-old.

Before Sunday's loss to the Celtics, Boston head coach Brad Stevens offered his thoughts on Barrett: "The first time I saw him in person up close here was the third game of the season and his body, physicality, skill level, all ready for the NBA. I think that's pretty unique for a wing in the league"

The Knicks will be missing one of their key players when they take on the Bucks on Monday night in Milwaukee, with Marcus Morris (cervical spasms) ruled out.

Morris did not travel with the Knicks to Milwaukee.

Frank Ntilikina, who left Sunday's game against the Celtics early due to back spasms and was later ruled out, is questionable for Monday night.

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

Last year after 20 games, the Knicks were 6-14. They went on to win just 11 more games. That summer, they spent $70 million in free agency. They didn't sign their top targets, but landed players they felt would improve the team.

It's fair to assume that no one in the organization thought this year's Knicks would be worse than last year's team. But New York will wake up on Monday with a 4-16 record, two games worse than last season and tied with Atlanta for the worst record in the league.

If you're looking for people to blame for the Knicks' awful start, you can point the finger in several directions.

The Knicks were outscored 32-14 in the fourth quarter, eventually losing 113-104 to the Celtics at Madison Square Garden. >> Box Score

Five things to know from Sunday's game

1) Julius Randle led the Knicks with 26 points and five rebounds, but went 0-for-5 from three in the game. The team as a whole went just 8-for-26 (30.8 percent) from three, while the Celtics shot 15-for-41 from three (36.6 percent).

Knicks point guard Frank Ntilikina will not return to Sunday's game against the Celtics, as he is dealing with a sore upper back, the team announced.

Ntilikina played just seven minutes against the Celtics before exiting the game. He had three points and an assist in limited action.

The No. 8 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft has been playing some of his best basketball recently as the Knicks starting point guard. He has been averaging 7.6 points and 4.6 assists over the last ten games.

Second-year forward Kevin Knox will start for the Knicks on Sunday against the Celtics with Marcus Morris out, the team announced.

Knox was a DNP-CD on Friday night in the team's loss to the 76ers, and has seen more than 12 minutes in a game just once over the past five games.

Knicks head coach David Fizdale has elected to play veterans like Morris over Knox so far this season. Before Friday's game, Fizdale spoke about Knox's playing time.

As the Knicks hit their practice courts on Saturday afternoon, there was a special guest in attendance. 

Performing artist J. Cole, who is nominated for four Grammy Awards this year, was on site to watch practice and to speak with the team. 

Born on a military base in Germany, Cole grew up in North Carolina, but moved to New York City after high school, attending St. John's.

David Fizdale likes to break the Knicks' 82-game schedule into 10-game stretches. 

Over the team's first 10 games of the year, the Knicks went 2-8. Sunday's game against the Boston Celtics will be the team's 20th game of the season, and currently, the team is just 2-7 in this second 10-game span of the season.

Still, head coach David Fizdale believes that there have been notable improvements during the latest 10-game stretch, despite that fact that the team has just two wins during that time frame.

The Knicks will look to break out of their current five-game losing streak when they host the the Boston Celtics on Sunday, but they may without their leading scorer.

Following the team's practice on Saturday, the team announced that forward Marcus Morris is questionable to play on Sunday due to cervical spasms.

The free agent pickup has played in every game this season with the Knicks, and he's taken on the role as the team's leading scorer during his first season in New York. He's averaged 18.7 points this season, easily the highest total of his NBA career. He's also scored 20 points or more in 11 of the Knicks' 19 games. 

The Knicks have reshaped their roster over the last year and change, saying goodbye to some familiar faces (some beloved, some not) in the process. We'll take a look at how some of those former Knicks are performing with their new teams as the 2019-20 NBA season is underway...

Kristaps Porzingis, Dallas Mavericks

The Mavs went 2-1 this week, but Porzingis' shooting woes have started to become a storyline. Since dropping 23 points against the Rockets last Sunday, the Latvia native has had two straight sub-par games. In a 15-point loss to the Clippers, Porzingis was just 4-of-13 from the floor, and he followed that up with an 0-for-8 performance on Friday night against the Suns. The game marked the first time this season that he was held without a field goal, as he totaled just two points in 33 minutes.

The Mavs are back on the court on Sunday agianst the Lakers.

When Kristaps Porzingis was traded to the Mavericks last season, he was joined by Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Trey Burke on the move to Dallas. 

Nearly a year later, what precipitated to the deal is still somewhat of a mystery. There was a meeting between Porzingis and the Knicks' front office about the direction of the team, and just two days later, the Latvian native was out the door. People have said that Porzingis was so unhappy, he demanded the trade himself.  

But Burke -- now with the 76ers and who was back at Madison Square Garden on Friday for the first time since the trade -- shed a new light on the days leading up to Porzingis' departure.

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

If you look at the box score of Friday's Knicks-Sixers game, Kevin Knox's DNP-CD makes sense. With Knox on the bench, the Knicks had a chance to win a game against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference.

But if you dig a little deeper, the idea that Knox -- the Knicks' 2018 first-round pick -- didn't play at all Friday night leads to questions about New York's direction this season.

The Knicks, as you know, spent $70 million in free agency over the summer. So they came into the season expecting to be much more competitive than last year's 17-win team.

The Knicks played their best defensive first half all season, but fell apart in the second half, losing 101-95 to the 76ers on Friday night. >> Box Score

Five things to know from Friday's game

1) The Knicks got out to a 31-18 lead in the first quarter, as the team went 5-for-8 from three point land. It was the first time all season that they gave up less than 20 points in the first quarter. Rookie RJ Barrett led the way, scoring 10 points after playing all 12 minutes.

The Knicks lost their first matchup of the season with the 76ers 109-104 on Nov. 20, as the Knicks were up 17 points in the third quarter before the Sixers went on a run in the fourth to win the game.

Sixers star Ben Simmons had 18 points, 13 assists and 7 rebounds in the win, including the first three-pointer of his NBA career. Before Friday's game between the two team, Knicks head coach David Fizdale spoke about how his team will try to defend Simmons.

"Unless you got some kind of robot that I don't know about, I'm trying everybody on him," Fizdale said. "The kid can flat out play basketball. He understand the game, he has an incredible I.Q. His motor is second to none. He reminds me of this guy I coached in Miami for a little bit, with that size and that speed. And the ability to see the floor and make other people better."

Carmelo Anthony dropped 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting -- averaging out at 81.8 percent, the best single-game clip of his 17-year career -- as he helped the Portland Trail Blazers to Wednesday's 136-119 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Anthony's debut before the home crowd at Mora Center in Portland, Oregon, complemented the Blazers' 20-point trio of guards Damian Lillard (27) and CJ McCollum (22) with center Hassan Whitesite (21) for 89 points between the four starters.

The fifth game of Anthony's Blazers stint followed Monday's 117-94 win over the Bulls at United Center in Chicago, where he lifted the Blazers (7-12) with his game-high 25 points on 10-of-20 shooting and 4-for-7 clip from three-point range.

Wednesday night's 126-98 loss to the Raptors was certainly disheartening for the Knicks, who have now lost four straight games and dropped to 4-14, tied for the worst record in the East.

Following the game, Knicks head coach David Fizdale was asked about what his message was to his team, a group that was outscored 105-69 in the game's final three quarters.

"Message to the team is 'trust','' Fizdale told reporters. "Right now we're still fighting that fight to trust each other defensively and offensively. First quarter, you saw the ball move without hesitation. We get to the second quarter, guys were holding the ball too long. They have to trust the easy play and the pass."

RJ Barrett's Toronto homecoming didn't go the way he may have hoped, as the Knicks fell to the Raptors 126-98 on Wednesday, but there's plenty the rookie can learn from his return to his hometown.

As a team, the Knicks played consistent, team basketball in the first quarter, leading by as many as 10 points and taking a 29-21 lead into the first quarter break. 

But the Raptors answered back, as reigning NBA Champions tend to do, outscoring the Knicks 105-69 over the final three quarters, led by 31 points from Pascal Siakam.

The Knicks held the lead after one quarter, but Toronto dominated the rest of the way en route to a 126-98 victory on Wednesday night. >> Box Score

Five things to know from Wednesday's game

1) RJ Barrett took the court in his hometown of Toronto for the first time as an NBA player, showing some love for his hometown with his footwear. The rookie did not have a very efficient night from the floor, shooting just 5-of-17 from the floor overall, but he chipped in with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Hours before Wednesday's 7:30 p.m. game against the Raptors at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, Knicks shooting guard RJ Barrett revealed during shootaround that he plans to play for Team Canada over the summer after his rookie season wraps up.

Barrett's head coach, David Fizdale, fully supports the move as Barrett aims to help Team Canada's pursuit for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.

"I love it," Fizdale said, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. "I think those experiences really help those guys. It gives them an opportunity to see how other very good basketball players work and you're playing against the best in the world."

RJ Barrett plans to play for Team Canada this summer, he told reporters on Wednesday.

"One-hundred percent. I definitely plan on playing for my country this summer. I'm very proud to say that," the shooting guard said at the Knicks' shootaround at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto ahead of the rookie's first game at home in Canada.

Barrett didn't play for Team Canada last summer ahead of the FIBA World Cup due to injury.

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

The Knicks rank 29th in points per possession. They also rank 27th in pace. The two numbers don't correlate directly, of course. (The Lakers are bottom ten in pace and top ten in offense.) But you can be sure that the Knicks want to increase their ranking in both categories. 

David Fizdale said his team spent time on Tuesday playing with a 12-second shot clock in an effort to increase their pace. 

The Knicks released an injury report before their contest with the Raptors on Tuesday, and RJ Barrett was listed as questionable with an illness. However, head coach David Fizdale believes he'll be able to touch the hardwood by tip-off. 

"I think it's just a matter of him feeling better in general," Fizdale told reporters after practice on Tuesday. "But I think he'll be ready to go."

Barrett affirmed those remarks from Fizdale, saying that he is feeling better since missing Sunday night's contest against the Nets.