Derek Fisher’s New York Knicks won’t suit up in a packed Madison Square Garden for several months, but the young coach already felt his first moment of pride as the new leader of the organization.

On Tuesday afternoon in Las Vegas, Derek coached his first practice for the Knicks, running the team’s NBA Summer League entry through some basic drills ahead of their first game on Friday.

“As I was leaving the hotel to come over for our first (Summer League) practice, it was emotional. That first practice and the opportunity meant a lot to me, a lot to my family. This is a great group of guys to break into it with,” Derek said. “I’m some nervous, some excited. It’s a special moment and special opportunity.”

Coach Fish met with media members after practice and he was of course asked about the hottest topic around the Association: free agency. But rather than racking his brain with thoughts of Carmelo Anthony and what might be for New York, D-Fish is focusing on the players present in Vegas.

“We have some young guys who want to live the dream of playing for the Knicks and making the roster—and that’s what we’re focused on this week,” Fish said. “It’s about staying in the moment and focusing on the things you can control. And those will be messages that we’ll talk to the guys about here this week.”

Many NBA coaches allow an assistant to guide their Summer League team and take the time to sit back and observe. But Derek is taking a different approach because he couldn’t wait to begin making a mark on his new team.

“I’m excited to get after it, to have this opportunity to be the head coach of the New York Knicks,” D-Fish said. “Why wait? It’s the Summer League, but this is stall part of the NBA. As coaches we have to be examples to our players that all of this matters.”

The timetable Fish and his team are subject to in Vegas has helped to keep the focus on the court and off of the negotiating table. With very little time for instruction and development, Derek has had no choice but to lock in on his new role as coach and teacher since arriving in Las Vegas.

“We have to get a lot done in three or four days, and be ready to play a game and look halfway presentable. It’s difficult to do,” he said. “We won’t look good at times, but this is the way we’re going to play (when the season starts). So it’s important to have some guys on the roster who will be there when camp starts who can get ahead of the curve right now.”

In the meantime, there’s still that pressing question about New York’s star scorer. While rumors abound seemingly everyday about where Anthony will end up, D-Fish commented on his recent meeting with Melo.

“I think it’s about winning, as far as what I could gather. He wants to win, he wants to be successful,” Derek said of Anthony. “In the time I had to visit with him, I shared with him that we’ll be a better basketball team. We’ll play the game in a better way, we’ll play as a team, and we’ll play the game in a format that allows the game to be easier for him and his teammates.”

Fish added that there’s no way of telling whether or not his pitch hit home for the former Syracuse standout, but Knicks brass also is doing its best to send some messages.

They recently dealt Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to the Dallas Mavericks, and in the process added a host of new talent: guards Jose Calderon, Shane Larkin and Wayne Ellington, as well as center Samuel Dalembert. They also brought in a pair of skilled small forwards: Cleanthony Early out of Wichita State and Thanasis Antetokounmpo, a greek standout who played for the Delaware 87ers in the NBADL last season.

“Obviously we’re excited about all the players who came over in the trade,” Fish said. “We’re excited about that and the picks we were able to get. We’re excited about the things that are going on now. And we’ll see what happens going forward.”

With plenty still up in the air for New York, much of it out of Derek’s hands, he’ll focus on just one thing while in Las Vegas: going forward.

“Things are going happen during the course of the season that you can’t control. You have to focus on what you can do. That’s what we’re going to do this week. We have some young guys who are going to be extremely important to our success this season that we’re working with and teaching right now.”

“(President Phil Jackson)’s job, my job is to control what we can here with this organization, try to make these players the best they can be, and win a lot of games.”

RELATED ARTICLES

• Summer League Practice Report: Derek Fisher (Knicks.com, July 8, 2014)
• Fisher hopes he made winning pitch to Anthony (Newsday, July 8, 2014)
• Fisher: Knicks can be better next year (ESPN NY, July 8, 2014)
• Fisher promises Melo that Knicks will be better (NJ.com, July 9, 2014)
• Fisher told Anthony: Knicks will be better (NY Post, July 8, 2014)
• Fisher hoping for Anthony assist (NYDN, July 9, 2014)