Derek Fisher was the subject of one of the strangest NBA stories in a while after an altercation between him and former teammate Matt Barnes became public. The fight came as a result of Fisher spending time with Barnes’ separated wife and became public knowledge shortly thereafter.
Since then, Fisher has been fired from his job as head coach of the New York Knicks. Given his improvements in his second season coaching, as well as the options behind him (Kurt Rambis is currently the interim head coach), there has been much speculation about the role of the infamous incident in the decision to fire him.
According to Fisher, however, that is not the case. The five-time champion penned a piece for Sports Illustrated called “Truth” in which he provided some details about his dismissal as well as the altercation with Barnes.
On his dismissal, Fisher was adamant that the reasons given to him had nothing to do with the outside situation:
First, let’s address this idea that I lost my job because of certain “character” or “integrity” issues. Not only is any such insinuation untrue, it’s downright offensive.
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.
When the organization informed me of its decision, the conversation was short. The underlying message was that things weren’t working out the way they had hoped. I thanked management for the opportunity, and that was it.
Fisher also included some details about his relationship with Gloria Govan – Barnes’ ex-wife – and the fight that occurred with Barnes himself:
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. There was no reason to.
I don’t know what was going through Matt’s mind that day in October when he showed up unannounced at Gloria’s house, and started swinging. I didn’t retaliate. No one who was there did anything but try to get him to calm down, particularly because Matt and Gloria’s children were present. There was no fight.
That’s it. There’s nothing more to what happened than that.
The whole piece is worth reading as it gives more insight into the whole situation. The overarching theme, however, is Fisher attempting to salvage his image. The former head coach admitted he is not perfect and has made mistakes, but was adamant in his writing that he is well-known and respected for his “character and integrity.”
We may never know what exactly happened between Barnes and Fisher. We may also never know the full circumstances behind Fisher’s sudden and unexpected firing in New York. Nevertheless, it is important to read Derek Fisher’s side of the tale as well, especially before reserving any judgments on what is still a mysterious and strange situation.
