It appears as though the New York Knicks are tanking this season, but even if they are, head coach Derek Fisher doesn't want to talk about it.
The Knicks have won just six of 42 games this campaign and snapped a 16-game losing streak last time out amid a season where many people believe the team is tanking for a good draft pick in the NBA lottery.
New York currently has a 25 percent chance to get the No. 1 overall pick in next year's draft, according to ESPN.
Fisher, however, is in no mood to talk about his team giving up already on his forgetful first season as a coach.
"You're asking the wrong person about that," Fisher told ESPN. "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."
Fisher said he can't control personnel changes and that he is trying to just coach his team and win games.
"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."
Jackson really drove the point home that New York is tanking this season when he dealt J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cleveland Cavaliers 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 after making the trade. " ... We now have to take responsibility and move forward and make things happen."
The Knicks have lost 26 of their last 28 games and own the worst record in the NBA. New York has had just two first round picks in the past five drafts and hasn't selected within the first five picks since 1986.
The Knicks (6-36) will likely compete with the Minnesota Timberwolves (7-33) and Philadelphia 76ers (8-33) for the worst record in the league the rest of the way and the best draft position possible.
For more coverage, follow us on Twitter @SportsWN and Like Us on Facebook
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
