The Knicks fell to 4-15 following a loss to cross-river rival Brooklyn Tuesday. But as bad as the season has started so far — and it has been pretty bad — perhaps the one constant is the steadying hand of neophyte head coach Derek Fisher. New York fans may not take much solace in the above statement, because the Knicks are one of the league’s dregs. With Fisher’s poise and confidence during these dire times, there appears to be hope that the former point guard will one day lead this moribund squad to a brighter future.As as bad as the Knicks have fared, they’re still within striking distance of the Nets for the eighth and final playoff seed. “[Our record] is just the reality, but I don’t know if it’s the concerning thing as though we can’t do something about it,” Fisher said after the 98-93 loss to the Nets. “If we sat there thinking that we couldn’t beat the other team, then I’d be concerned. But we’ve seen enough to let us know that if we control the parts that we can control, then we can actually win some of those [close] games. Am I happy about it? No. And none of those players in the locker room are happy about it either, but concerned is a defeated word. That’s a word [that means] you’re not believing that you can still figure things out. And we still believe right now.” The coach showed he can remain calm cool and collected, even after he attempted to call a timeout with seconds remaining Tuesday (prior to a potential tying field goal miss by Carmelo Anthony) and was ignored by official Mark Lindsay. He never seemed rattled or robbed by the official’s gaffe and simply chalked up the sequence as another lesson learned. “He said he didn’t see it,” Fisher said of Lindsay’s explanation. “I can’t tell what he did or didn’t see [even though] he was looking right at me. I was signaling, but he said he didn’t see it.” Anthony’s poor shooting night (7-of-22), nor the fact that the superstar never looked over at his coach for directions could temper Fisher’s mood, as he noted that what Anthony did fell in line with the unwritten superstar protocol. “That’s who he is,” Fisher said. “And I’ve played with guys who played the same way, and that’s what makes them great — they’ll always bet on themselves every time in those situations. But that’s why they’re the special players. … I have no problems in Carmelo believing in his ability to make a play and help us get a win down the stretch.” Anthony admitted that he didn’t “hesitate” to see if Fisher wanted to draw up a play, but noted that he’d have “been cool” with whatever his coach had wanted in that situation. “I thought it was a great look,” Anthony said. “I don’t know what the situation with the timeout was. I got the ball, I didn’t see anyone call a timeout. I kept it going. I didn’t want them to get a chance to set up, switch or trap. I had a clean one-on-one shot and I missed it.” Fisher knows that once the game slows down, guys get in sync and “trust the process,” the wins will start to follow.
“We have a lot of guys who want this badly,” the coach said, “so I think at times there are guys who are a little quick in late-game situations, decision making, and shot selection. … In late games, if we can just slow down, we’ll be OK and will be able to get a good shot instead of a quick shot.” Knicks notes:
Derek Fisher confident hasty Knicks will slow it down
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