A month removed from his firing as coach of the New York Knicks, Derek Fisher is attempting to set the record straight on a few things.
Fisher wrote in an article for The Cauldron that it's "downright offensive" to suggest the Knicks removed him due to character or integrity issues.
"The reality is that NBA coaches get fired for all sorts of different reasons. Coaches that have been at it much longer than I have - and have been far more successful than I was - have been fired," Fisher wrote.
The character insinuations came in the wake of a much-publicized off-court incident with Memphis Grizzlies forward Matt Barnes last fall. In his article, Fisher admits he was in fact dating Barnes' estranged wife Gloria Govan at the time of the confrontation. He also rejects the suggestion he violated any sort of "code" by doing so:
As far as Matt goes, to say that we had history before the incident would be an exaggeration. We played together for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2010-11 season, and a couple months in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season. That's it. That's the history.
During that time, we were teammates, and never had any issues. We never had any real relationship off the court, either. Our kids didn't hang out, our families didn't interact. There were no birthday parties. There were no post-game dinners. We weren't friends and we had no mutual friends.
When Gloria and I started dating, she and Matt had already been separated and living apart for more than a year. Same thing for me. My wife and I were long separated; she was in L.A., I was in New York. Matt and Gloria were not trying to work things out, and I certainly wasn’t seeing her behind Matt’s back or in secret. The relationship wasn't something I was trying to publicize, but it also wasn't something I was trying to hide, either.
Fisher said he didn't engage when Barnes showed up and "started swinging" at Govan's house in October while he was there. He takes a veiled shot at, presumably, Barnes for leaking the story.
Then suddenly, the story of a "fight" leaked to the media. I'll let you speculate on who leaked it and why, and the nature of their character. My reputation speaks for itself.
Barnes was eventually suspended two games by the NBA over the incident, one he has been fairly vocal about.
Fisher also took issue with the way he feels Govan was treated by the media after the incident.
"After the much-publicized (and unfortunate) situation went down in Los Angeles last year, story after story was published that portrayed her as a piece of property, instead of the strong, independent woman and mother she is; someone who is capable of making her own decisions," he wrote.
Fisher went 40-96 in a season and a half as head coach of the Knicks, a job he took straight out of retiring as a player in 2014.
