Lakers & Knicks' Desire for Derek Fisher

Every professional sports organization can be copycats at some point. There are teams always wanting to replicate what the successful teams are doing in order to make themselves successful. Sometimes it works out for them, and other times, it turns into a dumpster fire because there are bigger problems with the team. The latest trend in the NBA is hiring players fresh off their playing stint to be NBA head coaches without any experience. NBA believes coaches can be fine coming right off the roster. The latest candidate has been Oklahoma City Thunder's point guard Derek Fisher as he is wanted by New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers. 

It seems like Fisher would be an ideal fit to be an NBA head coach. Fisher is a guy who has the respect of almost any locker room. He always seems to have the ear of the players. He is trusted, but Fisher needs to pick the place where he can mold minds versus trying to get his virtual peers behind him. My point when Jason Kidd got hired by Brooklyn was it concerned me with all the veterans, and how Kidd would be seen as just a former player, not a coach. Fisher will get the chance to influence some of the younger players although he could have some trouble with the old stalwarts of the team. 

Kidd ended up being okay, but it was a rocky start to the season with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and other veterans. Would the same thing happen to Fisher?  The odds of it happening in New York is way higher. The Knicks only have three players under the age of 25.  They also have J.R. Smith. I know people are worried about Carmelo Anthony, but if I am Fisher, do I really want to coach J.R.?  He is a hell of a player at times, but he can be one of the most frustrating players in the league. Fisher would also have to deal with Amar'e Stoudmire's playing time. Finally, the whole Anthony leaving the Knicks should be a concern as well with taking the New York job. 

It is hard to tell whether having Kobe Bryant as your top player in Los Angeles would pay off as it would be like having an extra assistant coach, or if Kobe would dictate all that happened on the court essentially becoming too involved with Fisher. The two have a good relationship, but it could become a scenario where Kobe sticks his hands into way too many things. Lakers might be going through a transition, but Fisher will get a youthful team compared to New York which is nice. Look at how many players rallied behind Mark Jackson due to being younger players. The one drawback with the Los Angeles is the pressure to win in the Western Conference plus the additional pressure to be the kings of L.A. with the success of the Clippers of the past couple years.

Is there a chance Fisher says 'Guys, I am going to keep playing for another year or two?'  I think there is a microscopic chance of that happening given the positions open. If say, Milwaukee and Orlando were the jobs open versus New York and Los Angeles, Fisher would definitely think more about staying on another year with Oklahoma City. But these are two premier jobs with a great way to start building your coaching legacy, there is no way Fisher says no to both of these teams if offered the job to play another year. Even Brett Favre thinks that's a bad idea. 

There are good and bad things about taking the New York or Los Angeles job. Fisher will probably burn a bridge at some point, but it wouldn't surprise me if he is a head coach next season. 

Charlie.