Anyone need a banished coach as a backup point guard?
Former Knicks head coach Derek Fisher indicated he could come out of retirement when he posted an Instagram video of himself working out on the basketball court with the phrase: “Imnotdoneyet.”
Fisher, fired by president Phil Jackson in February partly because of failing to communicate, could be thinking more about spending a year overseas than in the NBA, where he played 18 seasons and won five titles for Jackson’s Lakers. Fisher turns 42 next month.
Fisher’s season-and-a-half?coaching stint with the Knicks was such a disappointment (40-96 record), he’s gotten no feelers since. It is believed he didn’t even get an interview in the?spring with the Lakers, who hired Luke Walton. Fisher still is getting paid for the final two guaranteed years on his $20-million-plus pact with the Knicks.
A Fisher associate said knowing?Fisher’s?“competitive zeal,” he “wouldn’t be surprised” if he makes a return as a player.
On Wednesday, Fisher tweeted he is “open to dialogue” if an NBA team expresses interest in him. However, he said on-court workouts have been a constant since retiring, and he has “no steadfast plan to play again.”
The Knicks are not a viable opportunity. They?agreed to terms Wednesday with?summer-league star Chasson Randle of Stanford on a partially guaranteed deal, putting him in line to win the job as third point guard and insurance for the health of Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings. Plus, Jackson and Fisher had something of a falling out as the Zen Master was dismayed his head coach didn’t allow him more access to the club.
Fisher’s last playing minutes were in Game 6 of the 2014 Western Conference Finals as a backup guard for the Thunder, when Scott Brooks played him in the fourth quarter and overtime of the defeat to the Spurs, still showing the defensive, floor-burn moxie that made him a key piece to the Lakers’ title teams.
If there is one candidate that could have interest for marketing reasons, it’s the rebuilding Lakers, looking to sell tickets and perhaps add a wise veteran to mentor their young guards.?Walton is a former teammate of Fisher’s.
If Fisher returns to the NBA, it’s doubtful he would join the Kings, who recently inked free agent Matt Barnes. Fisher and Barnes have an ongoing feud stemming from Fisher dating Barnes’?estranged celebrity wife, Gloria Govan.