Derek Fisher had high expectations upon becoming the head coach of the New York Knicks in 2014.
It was a match made in heaven. Phil Jackson was the president of the Knicks after having coached Derek Fisher to five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson was familiar with Fisher's strengths and Fisher had knowledge of the triangle offense that Jackson loved to utilize.
With Carmelo Anthony as the centerpiece of the offense, it would be a certainty that New York would be a playoff contender in the Eastern Conference, right?
That never actually came to fruition, as the Knicks were one of the worst teams in the league during Fisher's short tenure with the franchise. New York went 40-96 during Fisher's run as head coach before he was fired three months ago.
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Despite his failure as Knicks head coach, Fisher is still grateful for the opportunity he received to coach the team, as he stated on Bleacher Report radio:
“Phil (Jackson) is the president of the team and he ultimately makes the decisions. He made his decision regarding me at least. I still have to respect it, I respect him, the opportunity (of coaching) the New York Knicks is one not a lot of people on this earth can say that they've experienced. So I was very fortunate and thankful and grateful for the opportunity.”
During the interview, Fisher discussed the difficulty that him and Jackson had of communicating during their relationship. He stated that the relationship that he shared with Jackson on the Knicks was different than the one they shared with the Lakers, because they were now in different job positions.
While it's clear Fisher didn't work out as head coach of the Knicks, it was his first coaching job. The five-time NBA champion remains just 41 years old and should receive another opportunity to coach down the road.
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