Derek Fisher was never the best player, certainly not the tallest or quickest. Custom Washington Capitals Jerseys . 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." Dennis Maruk Jersey . Scott scored a career-high 30 points, Jeff Teague added 28 and the Hawks rallied to beat the New York Knicks 107-98 on Saturday night. "We were down Paul, down so many bodies," Scott said. Dale Hunter Jersey . The 49ers announced the deal Tuesday. San Francisco selected Lloyd in the fourth round of the 2003 draft. http://www.officialcapitalspro.com/Jakub-vrana-capitals-jersey/ . -- What Anthony Jennings lacked in experience, LSU more than compensated for with a talented supporting cast in the Outback Bowl.PHOENIX - Broadway star Idina Menzel says Whitney Houstons rendition of the national anthem is her favourite version, but shes looking to make the song her own this Sunday.Menzel said singing the anthem before Super Bowl 49 is the culmination of a lifelong dream, one forged on Sundays watching football with her father.Its the pinnacle. Its the milestone in my career, Menzel, a Broadway star whos gained widespread popularity, said Thursday.But Menzel cautioned people not to just pay attention to the songs high notes, which have been a benchmark for singers since Houstons rousing version before Super Bowl 25.Houston radiated the spirit of the song, Menzel said. It was Whitney, she said of what made that rendition memorable. There was just something so beautiful that was coming from her that day.Menzel said she will sing the song live, so that her rendition captures what she is feeling at the moment.Its a beautiful melody, and I just want the humanity and the truth to come out, she said.Menzel, whos become a supersttar after singing and voice acting in the Disney film Frozen, said she doesnt expect to be more nervous about her upcoming performance than she is singing before a Broadway audience. John Carlson Jersey. I love to sing, I love to perform live, she said. I love to put myself out there and make myself vulnerable.She became famous for appearing in both the stage and film versions of Rent, and has since appeared in films and performed at last years Academy Awards.Menzel infused her press conference Thursday with details about her relationship with football.I grew up watching football every Sunday with my dad, she said. Despite that, she couldnt easily pick a favourite team.Im a daughter of a betting man and whoever covered the spread was who I was going to root for, Menzel joked.She knows shell be pulling for the Seattle Seahawks, though.Im rooting for Seattle because Im a New Yorker and I cannot in good faith root for the Patriots, she said.___Anthony McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP ' ' '