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Knicks sensing urgency as early struggles continue: 'We have to own it'

James Devaney / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty

There appears to be no end in sight to the New York Knicks' growing dysfunction.

Following Sunday's 21-point loss to the lowly Cleveland Cavaliers, which dropped New York's record to a conference-worst 2-8, team president Steve Mills addressed the club's inconsistent play through 10 games.

“We have patience and we believe in (head coach David Fizdale), and we believe in the group that we put together, but we also know that ... we need to find a way to have a consistent level of effort and execution," Mills told reporters postgame.

Though Mills didn't directly blame Fizdale or his staff during his availability, he did emphasize the need for improvement across the board.

"It's not good enough for us to play well for two quarters, and then play poorly for two other quarters," Mills added.

Whether or not Fizdale remains the Knicks' head coach longterm, it's clear upper management's impatience is building as the early losses mount. And Fizdale - who now owns a 19-73 record since taking over as New York's bench boss in May 2018 - knows it.

"I live in that sense of urgency. I don't need anyone to speak to give me a sense of urgency," Fizdale said, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. "I'm not cruising through this thing acting like I've got a bunch of time to get a team together."

Asked postgame for his thoughts on Mills' comments, forward Marcus Morris made clear he agrees with the president's assessment of the situation.

"It's f-----g right," Morris said.

"... (Coaches) aren't the ones giving up 20-point leads in the first half ... that's all on us. We have to own it."

New York will get another opportunity to put together a consistent, four-quarter performance Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls at United Center.

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