Long before the Oklahoma City Thunder made a somewhat triumphant exit from the 2014 NBA Playoffs, point guard Derek Fisher was an interesting name for a unique reason. Fisher has been reportedly linked to both the Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks as a potential head coaching candidate while he is still an active player, and on Monday, a report surfaced that could signal a strong move in where he may land.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports brings the latest:
"As the Los Angeles Lakers remain cool on the pursuit of Derek Fisher as a coaching candidate, the New York Knicks continue to cement themselves as the strong frontrunner to hire him, league sources told Yahoo Sports.So far, the Lakers have expressed an exclusive desire to explore experienced head coaches in their search, and there isn’t yet an indication that team officials plan to seriously consider Fisher for the job, league sources said."
In the past day or so, rumblings have emerged that Fisher could have a strong interest in coaching his old friend Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, but this report seems to indicate that Los Angeles doesn’t share that spark. However, Fisher has been promoted as a candidate for the Knicks position for some time and with the built-in relationship with Phil Jackson, that partnership makes a great deal of sense.
It is important to note that Derek Fisher has not officially retired, but with his sign-off to the media in an exit interview with the Thunder, the whispers are beginning to increase in volume with regard to him moving into coaching.