The hire ends a weeks-long courtship between the two parties—one that got a little too close for the NBA's comfort while Fisher was still in the employ of the Oklahoma City Thunder, resulting in a $25,000 fine for the Knicks (per the New York Daily News' Frank Isola).
One team Fisher says didn't try and woo him: The Los Angeles Lakers, with whom Fisher won five championships between 2000 and 2010 alongside new boss Phil Jackson.
Fisher didn't quite elaborate on what "informal" meant. Was it a phone call? A carrier pigeon? Really elaborate smoke signals sent from a landfill fire?
Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Knicks would ink Fisher to a five-year, $25 million deal, meaning the Lakers would have to have been more "serious" than...five years and $25 million.
Now, both the Knicks and the Lakers essentially operate as their own U.S. Mints, so if L.A. really wanted to blow New York's offer out of the water—and that of pretty much any other offer for a first-time NBA coach—it certainly could've. It just didn't want to.
Why? Judging by their list of noted candidates, per Sam Amick of USA Today, the Lakers are looking for a seasoned vet to help right the ship, and quick, ahead of next summer's free-agent bonanza.
So far, George Karl, Alvin Gentry, Lionel Hollins, Mike Dunleavy and Byron Scott have all found their way to the top of L.A.'s short list, with a few slightly less experienced candidates—Kurt Rambis being one—thrown in for good measure.
However, the New York Post's Marc Berman reported Tuesday that Rambis is expected to join the Knicks as part of Fisher's coaching staff.
Fisher certainly didn...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
