The New York Knicks are struggling once again. As the trade rumors pile on, the first to go was actually their head coach Derek Fisher. The former Los Angeles Laker and 5-time NBA champion was fired after a 23-31 record.
According to ESPN, assistant head coach and longtime Knicks president and general manager Phil Jackson trusted coach Kurt Rambis will now serve as interim coach.
As seen on nypost.com, Fisher had already admitted that he has had trouble getting his players motivated for games as they lost their 5th straight.
"Probably what jumps out the most is you still have to work pretty hard to motivate and inspire guys at this level,'' Fisher said. "Something a guy who came into the league in 1996, that wasn't required. If you weren't self-driven and self-motivated, you couldn't get on the floor."
"As the coach, you still have to find ways to push buttons and get guys excited about playing the game. As a player for 18 years, my brain worked that way. It's one area that continues to evolve - find ways to help my guys be more inspired and more motivated.''
The loss to the Denver Nuggets was their 9th loss in 10 games.
With Rambis taking the lead, the report indicates that the highly rumored candidates to take the job is current assistant head coach of defending NBA champions Luke Walton or former Denver Nuggets coach Brian Shaw. Both were under the tutelage of 11-time NBA champion Zen master Phil Jackson.
As per realgm.com, another possible candidate is former Chicago Bulls and defensive mastermind Tom Thibodeau. A source close to the former Boston Celtic assistant head coach said "The Knicks are the job he's always wanted. He would crawl to Madison Square Garden." Thibodeau went 255-139 in five seasons with the Chicago Bulls before being fired after the 2014-15 season.