http://nypost.com/2016/01/21/time-to-give-derek-fisher-credit-for-carmelo-anthonys-revival/
Time to give Derek Fisher credit for Carmelo Anthony’s revival
By Marc Berman
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January 21, 2016 | 12:47pm
Is Knicks coach Derek Fisher ever going to get a sliver of credit for the obvious evolution of Carmelo Anthony into an all-around player?
Let’s take you back to the last Utah match in the former Delta Center on Dec. 9, when Anthony got scorched by Gordon Hayward, looked disengaged in timeouts and on the court while his shooting percentage continued to plummet to 40.3 percent after a 3-of-11 performance. Anthony had just two assists that awful evening in Salt Lake City.
Fisher rarely calls out an individual player in the media, but when he was asked about Anthony that night, Fisher delivered – for him – a pointed message.
“The shooting percentage maybe isn’t there,’’ Fisher said. “But overall it’s a collective energy from our group. That’s the biggest issue. The shooting will always go up and down. For Melo, it’s not any different. You got to find ways to do winning things when it’s not going so well, when the stats aren’t going for you.’’
Winning things.
That’s exactly what Anthony has done since, and it started with Fisher’s comments after the Utah debacle.
<figure id="attachment_10033145" class="wp-caption alignright">Modal Trigger
<figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Derek Fisher in the huddlePhoto: Paul J. Bereswill</figcaption></figure><a class="post-image" href="https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/knjazz2.jpg?quality=100&strip=all&strip=all">A little more than a month later, in a rematch against the Jazz on Wednesday at the Garden, Anthony passed Larry Bird on the all-time scoring list on a night he also had nine assists and seven rebounds — nearly reaching a triple-double — while shooting 13-of-20.
The narrative has changed with Anthony, who is playing the way LeBron James has played his whole career. Setting up his teammates first – early and late. Snaring big rebounds. Playing dogged defense.
After the big victory, Fisher said his work with Anthony is not done, saying he’s hoping “the product is so unfinished’’ that there’s more great things ahead. Before the game, Fisher talked about using Anthony more in a point-forward role.
“He’s a prolific scorer no doubt about it,’’ Fisher said. “I think the other facets of his game he’s capable of — those parts will elevate him as well and elevate the team. That’s what we’re trying to do.’’
And that’s what Fisher, nitpicked to death by the fan base despite the 22-22 record, has done. The coaching staff deserves some of the credit.
Time to give Derek Fisher credit for Carmelo Anthony’s revival
By Marc Berman
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January 21, 2016 | 12:47pm
Is Knicks coach Derek Fisher ever going to get a sliver of credit for the obvious evolution of Carmelo Anthony into an all-around player?
Let’s take you back to the last Utah match in the former Delta Center on Dec. 9, when Anthony got scorched by Gordon Hayward, looked disengaged in timeouts and on the court while his shooting percentage continued to plummet to 40.3 percent after a 3-of-11 performance. Anthony had just two assists that awful evening in Salt Lake City.
Fisher rarely calls out an individual player in the media, but when he was asked about Anthony that night, Fisher delivered – for him – a pointed message.
“The shooting percentage maybe isn’t there,’’ Fisher said. “But overall it’s a collective energy from our group. That’s the biggest issue. The shooting will always go up and down. For Melo, it’s not any different. You got to find ways to do winning things when it’s not going so well, when the stats aren’t going for you.’’
Winning things.
That’s exactly what Anthony has done since, and it started with Fisher’s comments after the Utah debacle.
<figure id="attachment_10033145" class="wp-caption alignright">Modal Trigger
<figcaption class="wp-caption-text">Derek Fisher in the huddlePhoto: Paul J. Bereswill</figcaption></figure><a class="post-image" href="https://thenypost.files.wordpress.com/2016/01/knjazz2.jpg?quality=100&strip=all&strip=all">A little more than a month later, in a rematch against the Jazz on Wednesday at the Garden, Anthony passed Larry Bird on the all-time scoring list on a night he also had nine assists and seven rebounds — nearly reaching a triple-double — while shooting 13-of-20.The narrative has changed with Anthony, who is playing the way LeBron James has played his whole career. Setting up his teammates first – early and late. Snaring big rebounds. Playing dogged defense.
After the big victory, Fisher said his work with Anthony is not done, saying he’s hoping “the product is so unfinished’’ that there’s more great things ahead. Before the game, Fisher talked about using Anthony more in a point-forward role.
“He’s a prolific scorer no doubt about it,’’ Fisher said. “I think the other facets of his game he’s capable of — those parts will elevate him as well and elevate the team. That’s what we’re trying to do.’’
And that’s what Fisher, nitpicked to death by the fan base despite the 22-22 record, has done. The coaching staff deserves some of the credit.
