NBA

Fisher says Knicks have talent to win immediately

On his first day on the job as Knicks head coach, Derek Fisher looked to win over the locker room.

Despite the uncertainty surrounding Carmelo Anthony, the lack of a first-round pick, injury concerns regarding aging forward Amar’e Stoudemire, and the questions at point guard, the recently retired player-turned-coach talked up the roster at his introductory press conference at the MSG Training Facility in Greenburgh.

“I’m not as down on the roster of this team as some of you in this room are. I think there are some things we can do with this team that are special right now — not years from now,” Fisher said, raising eyebrows. “Obviously, Iman Shumpert has enjoyed a great career so far. Tim Hardaway Jr. had a phenomenal rookie season last year. Tour’e Murry is a guy to me that has a lot of potential, versatility.

“They can play. Now it’s my job as the coach to figure out a way to help everyone get better. Obviously, the season that these guys had last year is something they’re real disappointed in, and they don’t want to experience anymore, and I’m here to work to try and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Fisher, 39, wouldn’t commit to the triangle offense, saying they will run the system that best fits the players. He also praised it, however, talking about his experience winning championships with the triangle, his expertise with the system and the need for the Knicks to get away from overreliance on their stars.

“I believe with the roster we have, we can utilize it, to be more efficient, to be more effective, to give ourselves a chance to play better defense by getting higher percentage shots,” he said.

“At the end of the day, we have to find a way to create a system, a way of playing, that makes it easy for guys to play the game.”

If Anthony returns, Fisher said the plan isn’t to pair him with another superstar — a pipe dream that has yet to pan out since the Knicks landed the superstar forward three years ago — but to get the most out of the existing roster.

“So the job is how do we not try to find a way to put him next to LeBron James or Dwyane Wade or other players equal to his talent,” Fisher said. “But how do you make the most of what you have? That’s the message that I’ll send to these players, every single day. We have to bloom where we’re planted a lot of times in life. We can’t look for ways out, and excuses why you aren’t excelling and doing things at a higher level.”

“I think a lot of that we can solve by creating a format and system of playing that allows for players that are very talented — maybe not as talented as Carmelo or Kobe [Bryant] or some of the greatest to play — but are still very talented to give far more than they’ve ever given. I think we can do it.”