It’s now official: after months of wading through his options, Knick President, Phil Jackson, makes, some would say, his second biggest move since he took his position, the first being his decision to fire former Knicks coach, Mike Woodson. Derek Fisher is the new Knicks coach! He signed a five-year, $25M contract, which matches the deal Steve Kerr landed in California.
Jackson pursued Steve Kerr for the coaching role, his former Bulls point guard who played a complimentary, but crucial role in winning three championships. With no prior coaching experience, Kerr was perceived as a possible “clean slate” for Jackson to implement his successful ideology and philosophy in an effort to make the Knicks a winning franchise. Kerr ended up accepting a five-year, $25M deal with the Golden State Warriors.
Fisher made it clear that he had no coaching experience and that there are no guarantees in the world of sports. Likewise, Fisher sounds prepared to lose Carmelo Anthony, since he may or may not resign with the New York Knicks at the end of his contract.
Experts are split as to whether the Knicks are better with or without Anthony, but even so, it’s clear that Fisher and Jackson are here to turn the Knickerbockers into a winning team for the long term. Fisher expressed his confidence in the current roster as well. “I have to be prepared to coach the players we have,” he said in a press conference. “ I’m not down on this roster, as some of you in the room are.”
Derek Fisher won all five of his championships as a Laker while Jackson was their coach.
Photos: Courtesy MSG
