Derek Fisher was never the best player, certainly not the tallest or quickest. Justin Reid Jersey . But whether on the court with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille ONeal, or across the bargaining table from David Stern and Adam Silver, he never feared taking the shot, speaking his mind, or doing whatever else was expected of a leader. So he has every attribute the New York Knicks need -- except experience as a coach, the job they hired him to do. "But I am experienced," Fisher said Tuesday. "Basketball is a game that I am experienced in playing, understanding, leading in, guiding in, helping another group of people achieve the greatest gift in the world as a professional athlete, and thats being a champion. That I have experience in, and thats the experience that I plan on sharing with these players, sharing with this organization." Thats what made Phil Jackson turn to one of his most trustworthy former players for his first coaching hire. Just days after finishing his 18th season, the 39-year-old Fisher was tabbed to replace Mike Woodson, whom Jackson fired in his first major move as team president. Fisher won five championships playing for Jackson with the Los Angeles Lakers and was known for his knack for hitting clutch post-season shots while playing an NBA-record 259 playoff games. But some of his most important work came in the locker room, just as it will now. "He made some incredible shots in the playoffs, always stepped into the vacuum of leadership, but more than anything else it was the ability of Derek to speak the truth from what the sense of the group was," Jackson said during a press conference at the Knicks training centre in Greenburgh, New York. The Knicks went 37-45 and missed the playoffs, just a year after winning the Atlantic Division and advancing to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Jackson, who declined an original offer to coach the team, was instead hired to run the front office in March and fired Woodson the week after the season ended. He was seeking someone familiar with the triangle offence and someone with little or no coaching experience that he could teach. The Knicks had nearly closed a deal to hire Steve Kerr, who instead left the TNT broadcast table to take the Golden State Warriors coaching job. Jackson then turned his attention to Fisher, even getting fined $25,000 last week when he was too open about his interest in the point guard who was still under contract with the Thunder. Terms of Fishers deal were not released, but a person with knowledge of the details said it was worth $25 million over five years -- the same length of Jacksons contract and about the same deal Kerr signed with the Warriors. Fisher won three straight titles from 2000-02 on the Lakers teams led by ONeal and Bryant, and helped them win again in 2009 and 10. He is respected among players around the league and was the president of the Players Association during the 2011 lockout. The 6-foot-1 Fisher was still a key contributor for the Thunder this season, helping them reach the Western Conference finals. Fisher, who is tied for third on the career list for 3-pointers in the NBA Finals, said thinking like a coach helped him play so long despite never being the most athletic or talented player. And now, like Jason Kidd in Brooklyn, he is prepared to make the leap right from the court to the bench without any coaching experience on any level. They Knicks won titles in 1970 and 1973, when Jackson was a player in the organization, but have had little post-season success in this century. Fisher, dressed sharply in a brown suit and purple shirt, believes he and Jackson can bring winning back to New York. "We know without a doubt that we can re-establish what that means, what that is," Fisher said. Fisher said he likes the triangle but would run what was best for the team. Jackson said he would always be available to help. The Knicks hope the duo can reach a group that admittedly tuned Woodson out at times. And perhaps can help persuade Carmelo Anthony, who can become a free agent in July, to remain in New York. Fisher, a former first-round pick from Arkansas Little-Rock, will certainly give New York a credibility that only champions can bring. "Thats why Im here," Fisher said. "Thats why I took advantage of this opportunity, to be a part of that process." Texans Jerseys . -- The guys in green raced off the court and into the locker room where they danced and sang, compared whose shot was most likely to end up featured on "One Shining Moment," and checked Twitter to see who was giving them a shoutout. Aaron Colvin Texans Jersey . The appointment of Boullier continues the behind-the-scenes restructuring at McLaren, who recently brought back former team principal Ron Dennis as its new chief executive. http://www.footballtexansgearsshop.com/Black-Justin-Reid-Texans-Jersey.html?cat=965 . Villarreals victory in Valencia kept it in fourth place and in control of Spains last Champions League spot. Uche broke free in the area in the 10th minute and was brought down by goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who was shown a direct red card.MONTREAL - A recharged Eugenie Bouchard, fresh off her stunning run to the Australian Opens final four, says shes ready to lead the Canadian team against Serbia at this weekends Federation Cup. Bouchard, who grabbed the tennis worlds attention at last months Grand Slam, will be joined in the best-of-five series by Gabriela Dabrowski of Ottawa, Sharon Fichman of Toronto and Aleksandra Wozniak, of Blainville, Que. The 19-year-old rising tennis star said Wednesday she took time off after the Australian Open, and only worked a little bit on her serve and a few technical issues. "I was definitely physically and mentally tired," Bouchard told a news conference at Montreals Claude-Robillard Sports Complex, the site of Saturday and Sundays indoor World Group II first-round series womens tie. "Im happy with what I did, but never satisfied. I wanted to do better. At the end of the day I lost in the semifinals, so ... I hit the practice court and Im going to continue to work hard on court to try and do better." Bouchard, whose success in Melbourne moved her up to No. 19 in the world rankings, made her Fed Cup debut in 2011 and has a record of 7-2. Last year in Kyiv, Bouchard battled an injured ankle and won two matches, including the decisive doubles match alongside Fichman. That victory gave Canada a place in World Group II for the first time since 2010. Dabrowski, the countrys top-ranked female doubles player at No. 61 in the WTA computer, reached her first two WTA doubles finals in 2013 at Brussels and Linz in addition to winning two doubles titles of the ITF Challenger Circuit. The 26-year-old is 3-0 in Fed Cup play. The 23-year-old Fichman has a 22-7 career record at the Fed Cup, while Wozniak, 26, is 37-9. The Canadians will square off this weekend with a young, less-experienced Serbian team that will be missing two of its top players: Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic, a former world No. 1. Bouchard, who upset Ivanovic in the quarterfinal at the Australian Open, said Wednesday her team would have liked to meet them in the Fed Cup. "I think were all disappoiinted not to have the two best, Ivanovic and Jankovic, here," said Bouchard. Sammie Coates Jersey. "But now we will take advantage, we will try to do our best and I think we have all the best players in Canada here. They might not have their best, so we will use that to our advantage." Serbian team captain Dejan Vranes said Ivanovic wont play this weekend due to injury and that Jankovic no longer competes in the event. The country will be represented by Nina Stojanovic, 17, Aleksandra Krunic, 20, Jovana Jaksic, 20, and Vesna Dolonc, 24, who at No. 117 is its top-ranked player. Vranes called the Canadians the favourites, particularly since they will be playing in front of a home crowd in a venue that holds some 4,000 fans. "We have a great challenge in front of us, but I believe in our team and I think we have a chance in every match," a confident Vranes told reporters. "Well be ready to fight." The Canadian women, however, are aiming to continue Canadas recent stretch of strong tennis performances. On the mens side, Milos Raonic climbed into the top 10 in the world last year, while Vasek Pospisil also rose in the rankings. Both reached the Rogers Cup semifinals in Montreal last summer and led the Davis Cup team to a first-ever semifinal appearance. Wozniak said she hopes the women can also deliver their own record-breaking finish. "Were looking forward to the challenge, and what the men did, its made history in Canada," Wozniak said. "So, I think for me, and for the team, its important. We would love to make a new history for Canada and win this tie." For Bouchard, who grew up in the Montreal Island community of Westmount, theres the bonus of playing a match in her hometown for the first time in a year and a half. "Its always fun to play in Montreal," said Bouchard, who was asked whether more people seem to recognize her in the city since the Australian Open. "Yeah, for sure, there are people who say, Good luck and that they are proud of me. Its special. Im happy to get compliments like that." Cheap Canadiens Jerseys Cheap Predators Jerseys Cheap Devils Jerseys Cheap Islanders Jerseys Cheap Rangers Jerseys Cheap Senators Jerseys Cheap Flyers Jerseys Cheap Penguins Jerseys Cheap Sharks Jerseys Cheap Blues Jerseys Cheap Lightning Jerseys Cheap Maple Leafs Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Capitals Jerseys Cheap Winnipeg Jets Jerseys ' ' '