After the Knicks consecutive wins over the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings, New York fell short of three straight Sunday, falling 111-105 to the Nuggets at the Pepsi Center in Denver and ultimately splitting the past week's four-game road trip. >> Box Score

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

If the Knicks ultimately move on from team president Steve Mills, but decide that they can't pay the price to get Masai Ujiri from Toronto, there are a number of other top-level executives who should be on their list.

They'd need someone with a proven track record and respectability -- and preferably someone with a title on their resume.

Here are notes on a few executives that fit some of those criteria:

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

We know that team president Steve Mills' future with the Knicks is uncertain. We also know that people of influence at Madison Square Garden are, in the words of one source, 'obsessed' with Toronto president Masai Ujiri. 

We don't know what, specifically, the Knicks would need offer the Raptors to land Ujiri, who is under contract through 2020-21.

But we have a pretty good idea of where New York's compensation package would have to start: one NBA team recently demanded two first-round picks when another team inquired about letting its exec out of an existing contract, per SNY sources. The transaction - which would have involved an exec generally considered a tier below Ujiri, sources said - didn't get to the finish line.

Nuggets head coach Mike Malone was ultimately unsure of what to make of why the Knicks fired David Fizdale so soon, but he knew one thing about his peer.

Fizdale is a "good coach."

Malone defended Fizdale, whom the Knicks fired Dec. 6 amid their 4-18 start to the 2019-20 season and after they went 17-65 on the 2018-19 campaign, before the Nuggets (16-9) hosted New York (6-20) Sunday night at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

It appears that Amar'e Stoudemire isn't ready to hang up his jersey and shorts just yet, as the former Knicks forward reportedly would like to return to the NBA.

According to The Post's Marc Stein, Stoudemire, 37, had returned to the United States from a brief stint in China and is working out in South Florida in hopes of making an NBA roster.

Stoudemire most recently spent time in the Chinese Basketball Association for the Fujian Sturgeons. In 11 games, he averaged 19.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

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...

Carmelo Anthony, Portland Trailblazers

The Knicks traveled to Portland to face Anthony and the Trailblazers on Tuesday, and the Syracuse product scored 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting with four rebounds. He also added two blocks and a steal in Portland's victory. Anthony notched a 20-point performance against the Nuggets on Thursday, as well.

In 12 games since joining the Blazers, Anthony is averaging 16.3 points and 5.9 rebounds, while averaging 31.6 minutes per game.

The Knicks battled back in the fourth quarter and defeated the Kings 103-101, giving them consecutive wins for the first time this season. >> Box Score

Five things to know from Friday's game

1) The Knicks struggled form the floor on the offensive end and struggled to defend the three-point shot for most of Friday night. Entering the fourth quarter, the Kings held an 80-72 lead, having controlled most of the action. In the fourth, though, the Knicks fought back, thanks in part to Damyean Dotson, who knocked down a pair of threes to help bring the Knicks within two points at 85-83.

With 5:22 to go, Marcus Morris hit a jumper and was fouled, tying the game at 93-93. On the next possession, Elfrid Payton hit a floater to give the Knicks their first lead since 2-0. Thanks to a 12-2 lead, the Knicks led by four with a minute and a half to play. Ultimately, the Knicks held on for the win, outscoring the Kings 30-21 in the fourth.

Ahead of their matchup with the Kings in Sacramento Friday night, the Knicks put out their injury report, which included Wayne Ellington being ruled out for the game.

Ellington has been ruled out with a sore left Achilles that is bothering the guard. 

Additionally, Dennis Smith Jr., who's been dealing with an illness this week, is probable to play.

While the Knicks want interim head coach Mike Miller to finish out the season, the team has Jeff Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and Tom Thibodeau among the names on their "short list" to replace Miller in-season if necessary, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic.

SNY's Ian Begley reported earlier this week that Jackson and Jason Kidd have support within the Knicks, but noted that there are members of the organization who remain wary about the potential of hiring Jackson.

Thibodeau, who was a Knicks assistant coach from 1996-2004, has been mentioned as a potential candidate before, including in 2016, when Begley reported that owner James Dolan was "intrigued" by the idea of hiring him.

The NBA released a statement on Thursday evening saying that David Stern, NBA Commissioner Emeritus, "suffered a sudden brain hemorrhage earlier (Thursday) for which he underwent emergency surgery."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with David and his family," the statement concluded.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski has reported that Stern collapsed while at Brasserie 8 1/2 in Manhattan and was then rushed to the hospital for surgery. 

Marcus Morris has arguably been the Knicks best player so far this season, as the veteran wing is leading the team in scoring with 19.0 points per game.

He signed a one-year, $15 million deal with the team over the summer, and will become eligible to be traded on Dec. 15.

Morris' value around the league could return a first-round pick for the Knicks, and with the team's record at 5-20, they could start to move veterans on short-term contracts.

With David Fizdale's firing by the Knicks last Friday, the team is now looking for the next head coach to get the franchise back on track.

SNY's Ian Begley has listed some potential candidates to replace Fizdale, and three of those names - Jeff Van Gundy, Tom Thibodeau, and Mark Jackson - have also been reported as being on the team's short list, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Van Gundy, of course, has prior experience with the Knicks, working with the team as an assistant from 1989 to 1995-96, when he became the team's head coach. 

The Knicks snapped a 10-game losing streak by holding on for a 124-122 overtime win over the Warriors. >> Box Score

Five things to know from Wednesday's game

1) The Knicks came out of the gates strong against the Warriors, who are without superstars Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. New York jumped out to a 10-point lead after one, and they pushed their lead up to 18 points at the half. Early in the third, the Knicks led by as many as 22 points, but the Warriors' defense helped them get back in the game, cutting the Knicks lead to five points in the opening minute of the fourth quarter and then tied the game at 89-89 with eight and a half minutes to play.

With the game tied 103-103 with two minutes to go, Marcus Morris came up clutch, knocking down free throws to give the Knicks the lead, followed by a jumper to extend the lead. Thanks mainly to Morris, the Knicks were up by three in the final seconds, but D'Angelo Russell knocked down a three to send the game to overtime. 

As the Knicks continue their four-game road trip on the West Coast, they do so without Dennis Smith Jr.

The point guard is out for Wednesday's 10:30 p.m. ET game against the Golden State Warriors due to illness.

The 22-year-old Smith is averaging 5.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 17.2 minutes through 17 games.

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

A day after their impromptu press conference earlier this season, Knicks president Steve Mills and others with management had a conversation with owner James Dolan.

The Knicks were 2-8 at the time, and management came away from that conversation thinking that their jobs would be safe if the Knicks showed progress. New York has gone 2-12 since that conversation, showing minimal progress in that span.

That's not a good sign for Mills.

Seven players in Knicks history have their numbers hanging from the rafters of Madison Square Garden. 

Carmelo Anthony would love to be the eighth.

Before his Trail Blazers handed the Knicks their 20th loss of the season on Tuesday night, Anthony was asked if he would like his number retired by the franchise he called his for seven seasons.

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

The Knicks are 4-20. So it's safe to say that, outside of RJ Barrett, no player will be off limits as teams discuss potential trades over the next two months.

As of last week, New York was looking at several different players who may be available in an attempt to improve its roster.

But the club also could start to move some of the veterans they've signed to short-term deals.

Carmelo Anthony had to wait into November to land back with an NBA team, but on Tuesday night he took on the Knicks for the first time as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers.

The 35-year-old may have been playing with some extra adrenaline, as he struggled with his shot, particularly in the first half.

He was aggressive early, attacking the rim and finding space for his jumper, but he never got into an offensive groove in the first half, finishing the first 24 minutes with four points on just 1-of-6 shooting. He missed his only three-point attempt, but did get to the line four times, knocking down two.

The Knicks learned that any time is Dame Time, as the point guard went off in Portland to lead the Blazers to a blowout 115-87 win. >> Box Score

Five things to know from Tuesday's game

1) New York did a good job of keeping last week's Western Conference Player of the Week Carmelo Anthony at bay on Tuesday night. The former Knick finished with 16 points amid struggling with his shot -- Anthony went 5-13 from the field. 

But the Knicks forgot that Portland was Damian Lillard's town, and the star point guard made sure they knew it. The four-time All-Star was electric from beyond the arc, hitting 8 of 12 three-point shots and overall shooting 60 percent from the field to finish with 31 points in the win. Lillard still managed to dish out six assists in between lighting it up from three-point range.

Knicks interim head coach Mike Miller was thrust into his new role less than a full day before having to face the Pacers at Madison Square Garden on Saturday. And the Knicks actually came just a Julius Randle made free throw away from tying the game and sending it to overtime.

Since then, Miller and the team have traveled to the West Coast to begin a four-game road trip, which has given the new coach time to implement some of his own tactics.

"Without divulging anything as we go into it, we were working on some things," Miller told reporters on Tuesday at Knicks practice. "Working on the things we need to do, really get a good feel and continue to work on the consistency of how we play possession to possession. That's what our focus is."

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter | 

Carmelo Anthony will face off against the Knicks tonight for the third time since he was traded from the franchise in 2017. 

A divorce seemed inevitable back in the 2017 offseason, but there was at least one last-ditch effort from the Knicks to keep Anthony at Madison Square Garden. 

One high-ranking Knicks official visited Anthony in person prior to the trade to Oklahoma City to ask him to reconsider his stance and stay with the Knicks, per SNY sources. 

Charles Barkley has never been shy when it comes to taking it to the Knicks, so it should come as no surprise that he's warning a potential coaching candidate to stay away from them before the team even begins its search for a full-time David Fizdale replacement.

"Somebody is gonna give her a chance," Barkley told TMZ Sports. "I don't think she should take that job. Don't take a bad job."

If the Knicks move on from interim head coach Mike Miller after the season -- or at some point during it -- Hammon would make sense as a candidate, SNY's Ian Begley wrote shortly after Fizdale's firing.

Former Knick and current Georgetown men's basketball head coach Patrick Ewing has joined the list of people expressing their displeasure at the team firing David Fizdale last week.

On his SiriusXM weekly radio show, "Center Court with Patrick Ewing," the Basketball Hall of Famer mentioned how much respect he had for Fizdale and wanted to let him know that he felt for him.

Carmelo Anthony knows what it takes to compete with the Knicks. There is tremendous pressure from a rabid fanbase and the New York media alike, which can be daunting for any NBA player. 

It's the reason why he believes Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant didn't sign with them this summer. 

"Not everybody can deal with (playing with the Knicks)," Anthony told reporters. "Not even a star, but role players. Not too many people can deal with what comes with that. I don't want to say pressure, but everything that comes along with wearing the Knicks across the chest."

Two days after the New York Knicks fired David Fizdale, the organization thanked the former head coach for his time and he how represented the franchise during the year-plus stint at the helm.

The Knicks, who fired Fizdale amid a 4-18 start to 2019-20 after a 17-65 result in 2018-19, shared the following statement with beat reporters such as SNY's Ian Begley.

"The New York Knicks organization would like to thank David Fizdale for his leadership and professionalism over the past two seasons," the Knicks said in the statement. "He represented the organization with nothing but class. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors."

Marcus Morris called a players' only meeting on Friday before practice, and hours before David Fizdale was fired.

"I just called that meeting so we can, as players, talk it out and decide which direction we're trying to go in. At the end of the day, guys stood up, guys said their piece. I think it was a great meeting," he said Saturday.

Added Julius Randle: "It was what we needed. Nobody's going to turn this around for us except us. We just have to keep doing what we were doing (Saturday) and we're going to win." 

After losing to the Pacers 104-103 on a missed free throw attempt with 0.1 seconds to play, a number of Knicks players answered questions on their former head coach David Fizdale.

Here's what some of them had to say after the game:

MARCUS MORRIS

After the Knicks fell to the Pacers on Saturday night, a number of players, including Morris, took the time to speak about their former head coach: "It was tough. Fiz was my guy. We had a great relationship off the court. He was very influential in my decision in free agency. But at the end of the day, it's a business. I know Fiz understands that. We talked afterwards, we talked during the season. If something like that happens, his big thing was you just have to keep going, you still have to work, don't feel sorry for him, and things like that."

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. 

With a chance to send things into overtime on Saturday night with two free throws attempts, Julius Randle missed the second shot to hand the Knicks their 19th loss of the season. But with the night he was having shooting, it shouldn't come as a surprise.

Looking at Randle's performance as a whole in the loss to the Pacers, it was a solid night for the power forward: 16 points, a team-high 12 rebounds--a whopping seven of which came on offense--and three assists. 

But Randle had a very rough night shooting in this one, going 6-18 from the field on shots that included numerous missed layups.

Just a day after David Fizdale was fired as their head coach, the Knicks still had a game to play against the Indiana Pacers, and although they put up a valiant effort, it wasn't enough to come away with the win.

Down 104-98 with 5:17 to play, the Knicks played astounding defense and managed to shut out the Pacers the rest of the way. But unfortunately for New York, they weren't able to get anything going on offense, scoring just five points in that span on 1-14 shooting. 

The game came down to a pair of free throws from Julius Randle after he was fouled with 0.1 seconds remaining and the Knicks down two. After hitting the first one, Randle flicked his wrist a bit to hard and the ball bounced off the back rim and out, ending the game 104-103 in Mike Miller's first outing as interim head coach.

The Knicks fought valiantly, but a last-second free throw miss saw the team fall to the Pacers 104-103 on Saturday. >> Box Score

Five things to know from Saturday's game

1) In Mike Miller's debut as the team's interim coach, the Knicks came out of the gates playing well. Marcus Morris and RJ Barrett each scored an early four points, leading to a 14-7 Knicks' lead midway through the quarter. Miller said before the game that he wanted to see more ball movement, and that was the case early on. The Pacers fought back though, led by TJ Warren (25 points)and Domantis Sabonis (19 points).

Early in the fourth quarter, the Pacers pushed their lead to 92-81, but the Knicks didn't let the game get out of hand. New York went on a 14-4 run, spurred on by Elfrid Payton, to get back within one point. Later, the scored stayed put at 104-100 for a long stretch, until Morris hit a floater to bring the Knicks within two points with under two to go.

Before and after their game Saturday night against the Pacers, Knicks players spoke to the media and reacted to the firing of David Fizdale on Friday afternoon.

Here's what a few of them had to say:

RJ BARRETT

"I appreciate everything coach Fizdale and coach (Keith) Smart have done for me. They were the first ones to give me a chance in the league so I appreciate them. I spoke to coach Fizdale. Wished me the best.''

Barrett added that he spoke with management after the firing, but kept the details to himself: "Oh that's private. I can't talk about what management told me."

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." 

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

Porzingis is still a big-time contributor for the Mavericks alongside Luka Doncic, but he's continuing to shoot at a poor clip. In three games this week, the 7-foot-3 Latvia native shot just 37.8 percent from the floor, and 35.3 percent from downtown.

The big man scored just seven points on Tuesday against the Pelicans, and was just 2-for-11 from the field. He rebounded nicely on Wednesday with 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting, but his inconsistency has been worth noting.

The Mavericks host the Kings on Sunday.

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. 

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.