Clyde gets his props from Fiz
For many years, Knicks head coaches had come, gone and not used Walt Frazier’s knowledge despite his presence on the team’s planes, trains and buses. Frazier was always surprised at the lukewarm interest.
In fact, Frazier, the Knicks’ Hall of Fame guard with the NBA’s fastest hands, had told confidants he didn’t understand why former team president Phil Jackson barely talked to him during his failed three-year, three-month stint. Frazier came into the NBA with Jackson and they were roommates as Knicks rookies.
Knicks coach David Fizdale, a peopleperson dedicated to connecting the team’s history to his current group, has broken down the Frazier barrier. While some past players have only known Frazier best as the broadcaster in the loud suits, the current crop of guards is getting to know Clyde.
On Tuesday, Frazier was invited to the Knicks’ practice facility in Tarrytown for lunch with Fizdale and president Steve Mills, after which he met with the guards and chatted.
“Steve invited him for lunch and I previously invited him to spend time together and watch film,” Fizdale said. “I wanted to introduce him to all of them — the guards — to let them know he will be talking to them very soon.”
While Frazier has traveled with the club for MSG Network, he has never wanted to overstep his bounds with the coaching staff. He’s also quite busy with side businesses — running a successful restaurant, Clyde Frazier’s Wine and Dine, in Midtown and a bed and breakfast in St. Croix, where he owns a number of properties.
“No one defended like Clyde,’’ Fizdale said. “You’re seeing the kind of DNA I’m trying to create with the guards. If they can embody what Clyde brought to the game, we got something pretty good. They may not know everything he’s done, but know he’s a legend.”
That defensive hustle was shown in the preseason game at Brooklyn on Wednesday. The prime example was combo guard Ron Baker diving on the floor for a loose ball, then feeding ahead for a layup and stealing another ball at midcourt for a layup. Fizdale got animated on the sidelines for both plays.
Privately, Frazier always has wanted to share his knowledge with the Knicks’ players in a formal way. In June, Frazier, a key cog on both Knicks title teams, signed a new Puma deal that created a new wave of NBA players joining the oldschool sneaker company the Hall of Famer pioneered.