Former Knicks coach Derek Fisher took some digs at team president Phil Jackson this week, saying that the Zen Master still has much to learn about being an executive, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “I think a lot of people forget about Phil because of history within the game of basketball — one of the greatest basketball minds, coaches we’ve ever seen — there’s an assumption that he’s supposed to know what to do in every situation,” Fisher said during an appearance on NBA TV. “He’s also still learning as an executive, as a president of an organization, which is completely different than coaching. My assumption, without assuming, is there was a lot of learning he had to do and we all had to do while working together. … I think Phil is still settling in, but organization-wide, they are still settling in as to who the Knicks are in their DNA.’’
Fisher also noted that Carmelo Anthony is on board with being part of the team’s rebuilding process, Berman adds. “From what I learned from coaching and being with Carmelo is that he wants to win, but he’s also willing to work with younger players and allow the development process to happen,’’ Fisher said. “He was happy with Kristaps Porzingis’ development.”
Here’s more from New York:
- Interim coach Kurt Rambis told reporters that Fisher was lax in teaching Knicks players the triangle offense and that he and the other coaches are playing catch-up in implementing the system, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “If you want to learn something and truly learn something, you have to immerse yourself in it. That probably goes for about anything,” Rambis said. “We didn’t fully immerse ourselves into practicing it, developing it, learning how to work with it, going through the breakdown drills to execute it properly. We kind of skirted over things. So the real learning process of it didn’t have enough time to take place. We also didn’t allow the players the kind of time that it needs to allow them to get comfortable with it.“
- Tony Wroten won’t suit up for the Knicks this season, but he asserts that he will be the team’s starting point guard in 2016/17, Berman relays in a separate piece. “Without a doubt, without a doubt,’’ Wroten told Berman when asked if he believes he will start next season. “I’m working hard. That’s what I want to be. That’s my mindset from here on out. I want to help my team, and I feel I can help them and learn from them in practice now. [I can learn from] watching Carmelo [Anthony], Jose Calderon, Langston Galloway, Kevin Seraphin. They brought me in like family. I’m already comfortable with the team and I haven’t played a game yet or practiced. So I’m definitely excited.”