Insider fears Knicks may tune out long-winded Fisher

Some off-the-cuff reflections from Derek Fisher’s introductory press conference:

I was in San Antonio and in Oklahoma City for parts of the Western Conference finals. I covered many 2011 lockout meetings in Manhattan. I am very familiar with Derek Fisher’s oratory skills from his time as president of the players union.

He sounds more like the Knicks president than Phil Jackson does, and it’s no surprise he’s kept a relationship with Bill Clinton, a fellow native of Little Rock, Ark., who attended a Thunder-Nets game in Brooklyn. During Breakup Day in Oklahoma City, Fisher spoke for 20 minutes on eight questions.

Fisher brought it Tuesday, even going hard with a “huddled masses’’ speech about New York City being where people have flocked for years to do something “special.’’

Fisher’s speech-making skills are good for dreary lockout meetings and introductory press conferences. But this is what one Thunder insider told me during the conference finals:

“The thing that worries me about Derek as a coach is it’s one thing to give speeches as a player because it’s unique,” the source said. “But the players don’t want to hear long speeches from the coach every day during the season. Players may roll their eyes. Hopefully, Phil will guide him there.’’

One person close to Fisher says admiringly, “He has the ability to talk a lot but not really reveal anything.’’

It’s time for the reporters covering the team to buy extra-capacity voice recorders.

J.R. Smith, Mr. Twitter, already created a stir with his declaration he wasn’t coming off the bench this season. Smith was a big supporter of former coach Mike Woodson, and his relationship with Fisher bears watching closely. Later Tuesday night, Smith tweeted:

This deal came about so quickly, Steve Kerr must be blushing. Kerr asked almost anyone who has dealt with the Knicks public-relations department why he “shouldn’t’’ take the job — leery of the media policy installed by owner James Dolan. Impressively, Fisher dove in head-first — agreeing to a deal Monday — without a care about moving cross-country.

But it happened so fast, his wife, Candace, looked flustered at the press conference. A sum of $25 million wasn’t enough to put a big smile on her face afterward when a handful of reporters spoke to her. An LA girl with four young children, she admitted they were still “discussing’’ whether the family will move. (They didn’t relocate to Oklahoma City.) Candace gave short, quick answers — the opposite of her husband.

Noteworthy that Fisher, a former union guy, said Carmelo Anthony has every right to opt out of his contract — a departure from Jackson’s last remarks pleading for Anthony to opt in and delay his free agency.

“He’s been pretty clear in at least expressing he may want the option to be a free agent, which many players have done in recent years,’’ Fisher said. “I don’t think it’s an indictment on the Knicks. He’s maybe never had the experience of being a free agent and he maybe just wants that.”

As former union president, wonder if Fisher thinks Jackson overstepped his bounds in trying to change Anthony’s mind.

Fisher didn’t appear to have a better option than the Knicks. Jackson made it easy for him by not bargaining like he did with the initial three-year offer to Kerr at $4.4 million per year. Fisher acknowledged the Lakers “informally’’ made contact, but indicated they were in store for a lengthy coaching search. Fisher told them he was already embroiled in serious talks with Jackson.

Meanwhile, Fisher said he didn’t get a guarantee from the Thunder during exit meetings that he would be re-signed or for what salary. He made the veteran’s minimum of $1.4 million this past season. Though he played the final 23 minutes of their season-ending OT loss to the Spurs, that was more out of desperation when Scott Brooks lost confidence in the rest of his bench. Fisher said if the Knicks had hired Kerr, he might have just retired and sat out a year.