The New York Knicks are expected to reel in their fish this week.
New York’s pursuit of Derek Fisher to be the team’s next head coach is expected to “ramp up” this week and most likely result in his hire, according to ESPN.com.
Sources told ESPN.com that “things could take shape quickly in the early part of the week.”
However, some Knicks officials remain reluctant to believe the hiring of the 39-year-old Fisher is a done deal just yet. They believed that Steve Kerr to New York was a done deal, but the Knicks were blindsided by Kerr in the 23rd hour. Right now, they remain optimistic, but at the same time cautious.
The New York Knicks’ pursuit of Derek Fisher to be their new coach will ramp up this week and is widely expected to result in the hiring of the 17-year veteran guard, according to NBA coaching sources.
Sources told ESPN.com that new Knicks president Phil Jackson has been fully focused on Fisher since Steve Kerr unexpectedly decided to take the Golden State Warriors’ job, when Jackson and essentially the whole league believed Kerr was bound for New York.
One source close to the talks said Monday that “things could take shape quickly in the early part of the week.” The Knicks, though, are approaching this serious stage of talks with a hint of trepidation after the seemingly inevitable hiring of Kerr unraveled.
The major hangup: there is a belief that Fisher may decide to play one more season in the NBA. If he opts to hang up cleats, however, there is a quiet confidence he’ll be on the Madison Square Garden sidelines coaching the Knicks for the 2014-15 season.
Fisher has been mentioned as the top target for Phil Jackson and the Knicks since the Kerr situation unfolded. Jackson was not allowed to speak to Fisher, his former point guard with the three-time championship-winning Lakers, until after the Oklahoma City Thunder’s playoff run came to an end.
However, Jackson was recently fined $25,000 by the league for tampering, having hinted that he has interest in hiring Fisher.
