New York Knicks head coach Derek Fisher isn't necessarily bothered by the losses from his 12-47 team. No, what really bothers the first-year coach is how his team has been losing. After a brutal 38-point loss to the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, Fisher called out his own players for a lack of "character and integrity" in the game.
Derek Fisher blasts Knicks for lack of ‘character and integrity’
The Knicks’ coach was not happy after a blowout loss to Sacramento on Tuesday night.
Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
”It was definitely not the level of character and integrity this group has been showing in recent weeks,’’ Fisher said. “That was the most disappointing part. It’s not necessarily losing the game but just the way as a group, we couldn’t find a way to compete.’’
With star forward Carmelo Anthony sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a knee injury, things have gotten dire for the Knicks. The team had won back-to-back games before the blowout loss to Sacramento, but double-digit losses have become the far more common result.
Since a 92-80 win over the Lakers on Feb. 1, New York has gone 2-9. What likely bothers Fisher so much is the margin of defeat in many of those games. Seven of the those nine losses were by 11 points or more, and the most recent four have been by an average of over 25 points.
That's enough to get a coach upset, even if the Knicks' roster is among the weakest in the league without its cornerstone player. The team's starting five against the Kings featured Tim Hardaway Jr., Langston Galloway, Cleanthony Early, Andrea Bargnani and Lou Amundson. So while the team may lack competitive spirit at times, Fisher is probably aware that the team's issues lay largely elsewhere.
Fisher’s frustration is somewhat understandable, but it’s hard to really peg it on anyone involved given the makeup of the roster. Let’s just hope Fisher’s solutions involve more than a bigger role for Alexey Shved.
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