New York Knicks News: Coach Derek Fisher Claims Knicks Can Compete For Eastern Conference Title! Will It Happen This Season?

The NBA Summer League is way different from the actual league. It serves an entirely different purpose. For first time coach Derek Fisher of the New York Knicks, it serves as a time to evaluate his new task at hand.

Fisher has won five titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and he is working under a familiar face in Phil Jackson. Their coach-player relationship extends across the country in New York where the Zen Master becomes the mentor for Fish as he takes the sidelines.

While the duo has a renowned history of winning, their views are still grounded-or are they?

Fisher is not one to make fearless (outlandish?) predictions, and he takes the safe route when he is asked to assess his team's chances.

Yahoo Sports caught up with Derek Fisher in Las Vegas:

"My opinion, based on our roster and the things that we're going to do and who we are going to become, we can compete for playing in the playoffs and a championship in the Eastern Conference." 

There was no timetable given on his response, and he was not specific on whether these are two separate goals.

"When that happens, putting dates on it, how, that's not my job. That's why [the media] gets paid [to predict]. Everybody can read in to what you say on that. But for me as a coach I believe with the guys that we have, even if nothing else changes, we are good enough to be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference."

That's a little clearer. Since they did not make the playoffs last season (first time in Carmelo Anthony's career to miss out), that seems like a reasonable item on their "TO DO" list.

Speaking of Anthony:

"[Anthony] wants to win. He's a winner. He's won a championship before [at Syracuse]. He's only missed the playoffs once in his career. That's who I've always been and that's not going to change now that I'm the coach. Eating, sleeping, dreaming about winning."

Carmelo has actually won championships at every level. In high school, the fabled Oak Hill Academy beat LeBron James' high school on the way to the State championship. He should know that a superior team can beat the best talent.

Derek Fisher may need a different approach than the one taken by his mentor. Compared to the teams Jackson has coached, this edition of the Knicks is low on reliable scorers, and may not be built to execute the Triangle. Fisher will need to place his imprint and work with Anthony to build a future at Madison Square Garden.