GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The best way for me to tell you about Derek Fisher’s first day on the job is to relate two conversations I had with him Tuesday at his introductory news conference as coach of the New York Knicks.
One answer illustrated just how much the Knicks are a franchise being held hostage by a single player.
The second illustrated just how there isn’t much of value on this roster aside from Anthony.
I have been to more introductory news conferences with would-be Knicks saviors – coaches, team presidents, GMs, free agent signees, trade acquisitions – than I care to remember. The optimism always flows freely at these events, so one must bring a heavy dose of skepticism to sort the facts from the fairy tales.
With Fisher sitting center stage flanked by team president Phil Jackson and general manager Steve Mills, I asked Fisher flat out whether he expects Carmelo Anthony to stay with the Knicks or leave as a free agent, and why.
The best answer Fisher could give was “That’s a good question,” adding that he is hopeful an upcoming meeting between Jackson and Anthony brings some clarity to the situation.
But if you listened extra carefully, it seemed clear that Fisher expects Anthony to become unrestricted on July 1, simply because every player wants an opportunity to experience free agency, and Anthony has never had that chance. Fisher knows how NBA players feel about what is often a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, because he represented so many of those players as president of the players’ union.
It’s not just Anthony. Everyone wants to feel wanted, and players often want to experience what if feels like to be the apple of everyone’s eye. It’s Melo’s turn.
Jackson has tried to persuade Anthony to not opt out of his contract, putting off free agency for another year. But there have been no signs that Melo is willing to go that route, and Tuesday’s meet-and-greet with reporters left the crystal clear impression that the Knicks cannot move forward in any way, shape or form until they have an answer about whether Anthony will stay or go.
The entire franchise is being held hostage.
“It will be his choice,” Fisher said.
The second back-and-forth that served as a BS detector came after the formal news conference when Fisher said the Knicks had “a lot of very, very talented players, not average players.”
Oh yeah?
“Who, exactly?” I asked Fisher.
He would not. Or could not.
“I’m not going to single out players at the expense of other players, but I played against a lot of these guys for a long time, and they can play,” he said.
Hmmm.
Amar’e Stoudemire? Once upon a time he could play. Now? He is an asset only because he is one of three players with monster salaries (the others are Tyson Chandler and Andrea Bargnani) who will come off the salary cap in the summer of 2015, when Jackson will finally have a chance to go free agent shopping and remake the roster.
Iman Shumpert or Tim Hardaway? Those would have been two players that Fisher could have singled out, but they are about the only two players with contracts who are worth considering as building blocks moving forward. And since they essentially play the same position, Shumpert may be deemed expendable if he can be swapped for a first-round pick in this June’s draft.
What else do the Knicks have?
Bargnani? Don’t get me started. The Raptors should have given the Knicks a first-round pick just to get him off their roster. Instead, the Knicks surrendered a first-rounder to get him. He stinks.
Raymond Felton? Of the 30 starting point guards in the NBA, he definitely ranks in the top 25. Or top 28. And Felton is so slow-footed, Fisher could probably still drive around him if the two were going head-to-head.
Chandler? He was a nice player for a while, especially when he won a title with the Mavericks. But that was three long years ago. All Chandler can do for the Knicks in the upcoming season is try to stay healthy so that the team stays relevant, although that will be an impossibility if Anthony leaves. They will be horrible.
So face it, Knicks fans. Your patience is needed once again.
The next two years will bring a rebuild which will be a whole lot tougher if Anthony is not the main piece of the foundation. Even with Melo, there is no way Fisher can get the roster as currently constituted to be a legitimate threat in the East.
So what lies ahead is a season of Fisher learning on the fly and getting his feet wet, all while looking yet another year into the future for the formula that might end this franchise’s 41-year championship drought.
And while the Knicks did take a step forward by hiring Fisher, there is no telling what he will bring other than a knowledge of the triangle offense. And is that an offense in which Anthony can be both productive and efficient? He’s never played in a system anything like it, and it is unclear whether he is on board with the triangle being the best way forward for an offense so reliant on isolation plays.
“How do you make the best of what you have? You get them to give far more than they’ve ever given,” Fisher said.
If Fisher is the type of master motivator who can make that happen, then more power to him. But first he must learn exactly what type of a roster he is going to try to inspire – both in 2014-15, when the Knicks will be waiting for all those big contracts to expire, and then in 2015-16, when he and Jackson will have a chance to put their imprint on this team personnel-wise.
Until then, Fisher, Jackson and the rest of us must sit and wait and wonder WWMD — What Will ‘Melo Do?
All other questions concerning this team take a back seat until that answer is known.
Chris Sheridan is publisher and editor-in-chief of SheridanHoops.com. Follow him on Twitter.
To AJ – It is a valid point that links to appropriate articles would make your stance easier to evaluate and appreciate; as do most articles, particularly on Grantland. Providing corroborating evidence is not spoon feeding.
To Daniel – If opinions need evidence to be prove, can you please provide some links to verify that AJ is a bullshit artist.
To Jermaine – have you ever heard of munchausen by proxy? Daniel can provide a link for you if required
Fisher is a weasel. He used his daughter as a bogus weasel excuse to weasel out of his Utah contract, and everything he did with the union was weaselly self-serving.
Not to mention as a player, he consistently had one of the lowest PERs in the league and gave actual effort on defense about half the time.
I don’t know how people don’t retch whenever they hear his name. Did that one shot against San Antonio make people (the media in particular) lose their collective minds?
A weasel.
You’re the weasel if you think that man would use his sick child to get out of a contract! Ijs
You’re delusional if you think he didn’t. Before you keep jamming your two feet into your mouth, do a little research and dig up a lot of the newspaper articles from around that time. Read his quotes, read about where his daughter’s doctors actually practiced, read what his actual actions were, and then stop typing and acting like a fool.
Useless without links
For lazy people, I suppose it is.
Or bullshit artists…
Pal, I come from a time when people used to do their own research and kids didn’t need to have everything spoon-fed for them. Use Google and do it yourself, it’s not a government secret. Either stop being ignorant or grow up. Preferably both.
Oh, and neglected to mention in my original post, he lied yet again and weaseled out of his Dallas contract, too.
Well, “pal,” I come from a time when people backed up their statements with facts. So pull your Depends up, old man. List your sources, produce your apparent “research,” or don’t bother saying anything.
A Depends reference. Ooh, that’s clever. Still doesn’t change the fact you’re too lazy to read what’s all over Google at your fingertips.