After a 4-18 start in his second year as the Knicks bench boss, David Fizdale was fired by the team earlier this season.

Since that decision came down on Fizdale in December, he's had time to reflect on what happened in New York.

What could have been different? What would he change?

Fizdale answered that on Monday. With a young roster at his disposal, Fizdale, who had a 21-83 overall record guiding the Knicks, told SiriusXM that he believed he needed to be a little tougher on the young team he was leading.

"I probably needed to crack the whip a little more and be more demanding of the young guys to do more winning things and not be as patient with them from that standpoint," Fizdale said. "So it was a balance of just trying to find the right lane with each team."

Since Fizdale's dismissal, SNY's Ian Begley has reported that the Knicks set the bar high early in the season for him and the team. The front office, which is now also without team president Steve Mills, set playoff expectations that so far they've missed.

Begley also reported that Mills and general manager Scott Perry had periodic meetings with players during the lead-up to Fizdale's dismissal, with one former NBA coach telling Begley it could be viewed as "breach of trust between the front office and Fizdale."

But Fizdale has said since his firing that's not the way he views his former team.

"That's the business we've chosen," Fizdale said in January. "I respect those guys greatly. I miss the hell out of them."

Despite the way things went down at the end of Fizdale's tenure, he's doing all he can now: taking lessons learned and believing he'll get another shot at it.

"I do think that ultimately when I do get my next chance, what I took from it is, I have to be myself throughout all of it," Fizdale added. "I just have to be myself, be comfortable in that skin, and be genuine to the guys and that usually comes off well."

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