When Derek Fisher was hired as the head coach of the New York Knicks just 10 days after his career as a player ended, one question was raised across the NBA: Having never coached a game, is D-Fish ready to lead the Knicks?

During his introductory press conference, Coach Fisher came fully prepared to face that question, and rather than ignore the elephant in the room, he addressed it emphatically, as ESPN’s Johnette Howard wrote:

“In the half hour or so that Fisher fielded questions, with Jackson sitting to his left, beaming like a proud dad, Fisher didn’t set a foot wrong once.

Fisher exuded poise and intelligence and the sort of no-nonsense logic that made him sound eminently capable of confronting challenges head on. Before anyone could ask him, he admitted the concern that he’s never been a head coach is “factually true,” but said, “I am experienced. … Basketball is a game that I’m experienced playing, understanding, leading in, guiding in, helping other people achieve the greatest gift in the world that a professional athlete can have, which is being a champion.

“That I do have experience in.”

Derek played and won five championships under Phil Jackson while with the Los Angeles Lakers. Now the president of the Knicks, Jackson talked about the process of recruiting D-Fish to the Big Apple, and why he was an attractive candidate, per Richard Sandomir of The New York Times.

Still, Jackson had to wait until the team Fisher was still playing for, the Oklahoma City Thunder, was eliminated in the Western Conference finals. At that point, Jackson was able to begin recruiting a person he described on Tuesday as a clutch performer, a strong voice in the locker room, a person who could reason with his teammates when the coach could not and who carried the added stature of having led the players union during the challenging moments of the 2011 lockout.

“I like the fact that he’s current with the players,” Jackson said of Fisher, noting that his own playing days were long ago, when any number of people, including Jackson, were listening to the Grateful Dead. But that was then, Jackson noted, and Fisher is now.

“He’s hip-hop ready to get going with this group of guys and their language,” Jackson said. “That part of Derek resonated with me.”

Jackson, regarded as one of the greatest coaches in American sports history, not only liked Derek’s ability to relate to today’s players—but he actually saw in Fish a potential mentee, making his experience more of an advantage than a disadvantage, as Scott Cacciola of The Times explained:

Choosing Fisher can easily be perceived as a gamble by Jackson, but he has always been clear about his preference to hire a young coach whom he could mentor. Fisher fits the bill.

On Tuesday, Coach Fish talked at length about his history and the coach’s mentality he has carried throughout his career, has learned from some of the best. The top name on that list is Jackson, as Cacciola outlined:

In Los Angeles, Fisher played peacemaker between the team’s two tempestuous stars, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. Fisher later stepped into a challenging role as the president of the players union, which he led during the 2011 lockout.

Jackson also wanted someone familiar with the tenets of his triangle offense, a scheme that became second nature to Fisher when he was playing for the Lakers.

The familiarity between D-Fish and Jackson is just what the Knicks need to make their turnaround, according to Sports Illustrated’s Ben Golliver, :

Good hire. I advocated for Fisher to the Knicks last month. Tapping Fisher accomplishes one critical goal for the organization: an alignment of principles between the basketball operations department (Phil Jackson) and the coaching staff. It’s incredibly difficult to achieve true success in the NBA without such alignment, even if you’re blessed with a good roster. The Knicks have a horrible roster at this point, so making sure Jackson and his coaching pick will be on the same page when it comes to personnel is an absolute must. Fisher represents this principle to a tee: he’s played for Jackson, he’s played in Jackson’s system, he’s won championships with Jackson and he’s maintained a relationship with Jackson. These guys should hit the ground running together.

In addition to the established relationship between with his new boss, Derek’s is a name known throughout the league. Nate Scott and Kofie Yeboah of USA Today identified six reasons why Fish was the right choice for New York.

No. 2 on that list: “He’s one of the most respected people in the league.”

A born leader, Fish was able to play through a long 18-year NBA career because of that respect. Some of the biggest names around the NBA—and around the country—understand Derek’s leadership skills, and they took to Twitter to congratulate him, and present him as an exceptional candidate for the opening in the Big Apple.

RELATED ARTICLES

• Fisher first-rate on first day as Knick (ESPN NY, June 10, 2014)
• Knicks, in selecting Fisher, take a different approach (NY Times, June 10, 2014)
• A Veteran Becomes a Rookie (NY Times, June 9, 2014)
• Examining Knicks’ Decision to Hire Derek Fisher (Sports Illustrated, June 10, 2014)
• 6 Reasons Derek Fisher was right choice for Knicks (USA Today, June 9, 2014)