2:44pm: The NBA has fined Jackson $25K for tampering with Fisher, stemming from Jackson’s comments in a press conference last week, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Meanwhile, the Lakers plan to interview more candidates, but it’s not clear if Fisher will be among them, according to Sam Amick of USA Today. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak is likely to call Fisher soon to gauge his interest before deciding whether to interview him, Amick writes.
1:02pm: The Knicks appear to have greater interest than the Lakers do in hiring Derek Fisher as coach, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. There’s no indication that the Lakers will give Fisher serious consideration, Wojnarowski hears, as they focus their attention on experienced candidates. Fisher said yesterday that he hadn’t spoken with any NBA teams about their vacancies, but Knicks president Phil Jackson has publicly expressed his support for the Thunder guard, and both the Knicks and Fisher expect to start talks by the end of the week, Wojnarowski reports.
Jackson and “the Knicks’ support system” are attractive to Fisher, according to Wojnarowski. Steve Kerr appeared to have concerns about the trappings of the Knicks organization before he took the Warriors job instead, but perhaps Fisher isn’t as worried about owner James Dolan and others in the Madison Square Garden company.
New York seems focused primarily on Fisher for the coaching job, while the Lakers have interviewed Mike Dunleavy, Kurt Rambis, Byron Scott and Lionel Hollins, as Wojnarowski points out. Alvin Gentry is also on the list of those reportedly set to interview with the purple-and-gold.
Fisher still hasn’t announced his retirement from playing, and a report last week indicated he may rejoin the Thunder in a reduced playing role that would allow him to function much like an assistant coach on the bench. Still, it seems more likely that Fisher will walk away from the game, whether it’s to pursue coaching or another capacity.