Derek Fisher was never the best player, certainly not the tallest or quickest.
But whether on the court with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, or across the bargaining table from David Stern and Adam Silver, he never feared taking the shot, speaking his mind, or doing whatever else was expected of a leader.
So he has every attribute the New York Knicks need - except experience as a coach, the job they hired him to do.
''But I am experienced,'' Fisher said Tuesday. ''Basketball is a game that I am experienced in playing, understanding, leading in, guiding in, helping another group of people achieve the greatest gift in the world as a professional athlete, and that's being a champion. That I have experience in, and that's the experience that I plan on sharing with these players, sharing with this organization.''
For the second year in a row, a player goes immediately from the court to the coaching ranks. Depending on what kind of roster moves the Knicks can make this offseason, I'd expect similar results to Jason Kidd's first year in Brooklyn; they'll have their moments, maybe make the Playoffs, but don't expect much more than that.
