Knicks remain an option if Fisher decides to end playing career…
The Los Angeles Lakers have reportedly ruled out the possibility of appointing Derek Fisher as their next coach, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Fisher has yet to announce his retirement from the game after the Oklahoma City Thunder were eliminated from the playoffs in the Western Conference Finals by the San Antonio Spurs.
While it is understood that New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson is keen on appointing him as Mike Woodson’s replacement in the Big Apple, the Lakers had also appeared as an option with Kobe Bryant once approving of his former team-mate becoming a great coach.
“The Lakers have decided they need a coach with previous NBA coaching experience, which means one thing for Derek Fisher: He isn’t a candidate,” Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Having missed out on Steve Kerr who eventually opted to join the Golden State Warriors, Jackson will be relieved that there is less competition for his second choice, but ultimately it is still not certain that Fisher will look to enter coaching ahead of next season.
There is also the risk that Fisher will be concerned with taking a first coaching role with a struggling franchise as they look to bounce back from a disappointing season in which they missed out on the playoffs, and given their current salary cap issues, it is unlikely that a great deal will change with the roster this summer.
As a result, Jackson will need to persuade his former star of the positives in taking the role, while the Lakers still have a five-man shortlist consisting of Kurt Rambis, Alvin Gentry, Mike Dunleavy, Lionel Hollins and Byron Scott, according to reports.
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