The New York Knicks officially have a head coach. Derek Fisher was hired to reunite with Phil Jackson and hopefully restore the team to playoff glory. He enters at a tough time. The have their best player approaching free agency this offseason, a massive amount of salary cap space invested in three players and limited financial abilities to sign anyone else. So, could Fisher recruit some of his former teammates to New York for a discount?
Fisher enters his New York tenure with confidence. The head coach finished an 18-year NBA career and is now set with the task of restoring a franchise after a disaster season. The first priority is locking down Carmelo Anthony to a long-term extension, something Fisher is very optimistic can get done.
"We want Carmelo to be here," Fisher said, via the New York Post. "Obviously, he has a choice. We'll do everything we can to keep him. I can speak from experience that as a player, free agency is something that you want to experience. You enjoy the process. But ultimately, you make a choice that you think is best for you and your family. We obviously firmly believe that here is that place for Carmelo. And we're going to do our best not to convince him or change his mind from maybe a decision that he's already made but give him some confidence that with the personalities involved and our commitment to working hard to achieve success, that this is place where he can have what he wants."
If Anthony stays, others will come. Obviously, there will be trades next which could include Tyson Chandler and Amar'e Stoudemire considering both have inflated contracts and take up a large portion of the salary cap space. Raymond Felton could be gone as well given his off-the-court issues. So who comes in?
With Fisher in place as coach, could Pau Gasol sign in free agency? The Lakers center is looking to sign with a team set to win. The jury is out on whether or not that is the Knicks, but he has already expressed some desire in teaming back up with Jackson and with Fisher on the team now too, could that be the final push to get Gasol to the Big Apple? The center only intends on looking at a few teams and has listed the Knicks as one of them so Fisher might be able to use a connection to make that happen.
The Knicks had also been linked to Steve Blake who is approaching free agency. The point guard was on the roster with Fisher a few years ago and would be a solid choice to help the offense should players like Felton or Iman Shumpert get traded. Blake is expected to sign a cheap contract wherever he plays which fits perfectly for the Knicks.
The other option is Bynum as a backup. The Post previously reported Bynum being an option for the Knicks after Jackson praised the center. Despite his essentially two-year absence from the NBA, a team will sign Bynum. He is interested in the Lakers, but the Knicks might make a run at him. They signed Lamar Odom to a deal so really anyone is an option that will sign for cheap.