GIVE DOLAN AN ASSIST
Meeting with Phil preceded Fisher firing
TORONTO — James Dolan interfering isn’t always a bad thing. The chairman of Madison Square Garden had an animated meeting with K n ick s president Phil Jackson concerning the state of the club just six days before Jackson fired Derek Fisher, according to a source.
The meeting, which included GM Steve Mills, took place following a Feb. 2 home loss to the Boston Celtics. At least Dolan could tell that Fisher was in way over his head.
The same source maintains that Dolan was also livid over a comment Fisher made on the “The Michael Kay Show” when the ousted coach said in a radio interview that he would not be disappointed if the Knicks failed to make the playoffs.
“No. ... Disappointment in what? We’re a developing team with a ton of new players,” Fisher said.
It is unclear if Dolan ordered Jackson to fire Fisher like he once ordered Isiah Thomas to do with Lenny Wilkens 11 years earlier. Dolan, however, did have plenty of ammunition this time around to press the issue, including Fisher’s 40-96 career record, which included the Knicks losing nine of their previous 10 games.
Plus, Fisher had embarrassed the organization by flying to the West Coast after the fifth day of training camp in October to visit his girlfriend and ended up in an altercation with the women’s estranged husband, Memphis Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes. There are also unsubstantiated reports that Fisher and former Knick Tim Hardaway Jr. were at odds last season because they were both dating the same woman.
Fisher was a bad hire no doubt and a permanent mark on Jackson’s thin resume as a front office guy. It also makes Jackson’s bizarre Twitter rant from the other day all the more amusing. That’s the one where Jackson cited psychologists Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow and referenced “self-actualization”
when discussing the type of coach he wants.
That’s all very deep. But how does Phil then explain his choice of Fisher, a novice head coach who carried himself like the Hugh Hefner of the NBA.
Better yet, why should Dolan have any confidence that Jackson is capable of hiring the right coach this time? Luke Walton is an obvious candidate but Walton may have several offers to choose from, including the best job in the NBA: the Golden State Warriors. Steve Kerr, who missed the Warriors first 41 games due to complications from back surgery, still has lingering side effects. He coached Golden State’s game on Wednesday in Phoenix despite suffering from headaches and pain related to the spinal f lu id
leak.
“I still have symptoms from everything I’ve been dealing with,” Kerr said. “I wish everything was clear and gone away, but at times it’s not, and I have to deal with stuff.”
Walton coached the Warriors during Kerr’s absence and it’s conceivable that Kerr may step down after the season for healthrelated reasons. In that case, Walton likely lands a plum assignment.
If Walton is out of the picture, that leaves Jackson with fewer options. Interim coach Kurt Rambis will get the chance to keep the job and can strengthen his position if the Knicks defy the odds and reach the playoffs. If not, Jackson could turn to Brian Shaw or Lakers assistant Mark Madsen.
Those names may not sit well with Dolan and you can’t imagine they’d sit well with Carmelo Anthony, who is seeing the prime years of his career slip away. Rambis and Shaw both have losing records and Madsen has never been a head coach.
If you don’t think Carmelo is concerned just go back to what he said about Jackson on Tuesday: “You have to continue to put your trust into Phil. At this point, what could you do?” How’s that for a ringing endorsement? In times like these, Dolan normally leans on his most trusted basketball adviser. And it’s not Jackson or even Eagles manager Irving Azoff. If you think Carmelo didn’t sound all that confident in Phil to pull this off, let’s take a moment to remember
what Dolan once said about Isiah.
“I continue to believe in his basketball knowledge, including his ability to judge talent. He’s a good friend of mine and of the organization and I will continue to solicit his views. He will always have strong ties to me and the team.”
Now that’s an endorsement.
Needless to say, Phil won’t be able to survive many more postgame visits from his boss.