Phil Jackson finally found his man. The New York Knicks hired Derek Fisher as their coach. The team will unveil their new leader at a press conference today.
Fisher played in (161) and won more playoff games (259) in his 18-year-playing career, which apparently ended with Oklahoma City’s Western Conference Finals loss to the Spurs, than any other athlete in NBA history. The Knicks have won just one playoff series, or eight postseason games, during the last fourteen years. The guard, famous for his postseason buzzer-beating heroics, missed the playoffs just twice in his 18-season career.
Bringing a winning attitude to a losing franchise, and Fisher’s history with new Knicks chief Phil Jackson–the two interacted as player and coach for parts of nine NBA seasons–stand as the primary reasons for the hire. Phil Jackson had initially pursued another former player, Steve Kerr, to coach the Knicks. Kerr spurned Jackson’s entreaties to instead take the top job at Golden State.
Fisher’s deal awards him $25 million over five years, a considerably higher salary than he had been making as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Knicks went 37-45 this past season.
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