Just don’t ask Derek Fisher to talk about it.
«You’re asking the wrong person about that,» Fisher said politely after practice Tuesday. «Maybe if you talk to [Knicks president Phil Jackson or GM Steve Mills] you can ask them. But there’s no interest in thinking about which pick we might get based on the way the ping-pong bounces when we play Philadelphia [Wednesday] night. There’s just no correlation, in my mind. Maybe some people see it differently.»
It’s understandable Fisher would be wary of addressing the idea the Knicks are tanking.
It’s his job to keep his players focused on winning games.
«That’s what I’m trying to do,» he said.
Fisher also has no control over the Knicks’ desire to tank. Players and coaches don’t put teams in position to tank. Management does.
For the Knicks, that happened earlier this month, when Jackson sent Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith to Cleveland in exchange for a 2019 second-round draft pick and two trade exceptions.
«Obviously, I didn’t do the right thing in picking the group of guys that were here,» Jackson said a few days after making the trade. » … We now have to take responsibility and move forward and make things happen.»
That includes stripping the Knicks roster down with an eye to building through the draft and free agency.
The Knicks (6-36) have lost 26 of their past 28 games and have the worst record in the NBA. If the season ended Tuesday, New York would have a 25 percent chance of landing the top pick in June’s draft.
The Knicks likely will battle the Philadelphia 76ers (8-33) and Minnesota Timberwolves (7-33) the rest of the way for the worst record in the league.
That’s why the focus during the Knicks’ game against the Sixers on Wednesday will be June’s draft and the projected top picks, such as Duke’s Jahlil Okafor and Emmanuel Mudiay, who is playing in China this season.
But Fisher is more concerned with the players on his roster than the 2015 draft class. Believe it or not, he also wants to win games. The Knicks’ final record will end up on his resume.
«The only way I know how to approach a game is to try to win it every time,» Fisher said Tuesday when asked about tanking. «So I can’t read other people’s minds and what other organizations are trying to do. That’s not my job. All I know is that we’re preparing for the 76ers, and that’s what I’m going to do.»
The Knicks have made just two first-round picks in the past five drafts. They haven’t had a top-five pick since 1986, when they selected Kenny Walker fifth, so it will be interesting to see how they approach this selection.
They obviously have needs all over the court, including at center, where Okafor plays. Coincidentally, the freshman big man will be at Madison Square Garden on Sunday when Duke plays St. John’s.
Will Fisher be watching? Probably not.
«My job is to coach the team right now and not focus too much on that at this point,» Fisher said. «Obviously, our scouts and management and people’s jobs that it is to really focus on those things, I have to leave it to them.»
That group includes Jackson, Mills, Knicks advisor Clarence Gaines Jr., assistant GM Allan Houston, pro personnel director Mark Hughes and scout Walker Russell, among others.
Galloway comes home: Over the past two weeks, Langston Galloway has established himself as a crowd favorite at the Garden. He should have more than a few fans in Philly as well.
Galloway, who starred at St. Joseph’s in Philadelphia, will play in Philadelphia for the first time as a pro Wednesday night. He expects to have some friends and family in the stands but is more concerned about walking off the floor with a win.
«We’re dying to keep this going,» said Galloway, who is averaging 12 points in five games. «We want to get a win streak going.» … The Knicks signed Lou Amundson to another 10-day contract. They will sign Lance Thomas to another 10-day deal at some point prior to Wednesday’s game. … Cleanthony Early said he hurt his right ankle during a workout on Saturday. He didn’t sound optimistic about playing Wednesday.
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