The idea that a bench player on a championship-caliber basketball team may be a better coach than his own seems ridiculous ... and it very well may be.
But is it fair to suggest that Derek Fisher, the veteran point guard whose name is reportedly towards the top of the Knicks' list of coaching candidates, would be the preferred choice to run a team from the sideline?
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The easy answer is no ... for now.
After the Thunder's season-ending loss to the Spurs on Saturday — yet another failed attempt to win an NBA championship with two of the league's top players, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, on the roster — inevitable, predictable questions immediately surfaced regarding Fisher's plans and coach Scott Brooks' future in Oklahoma City.
We'll start with the 39-year-old Fisher, who at this point understandably has no idea whether he'll retire.
"It's not that many hours since postgame at this point," Fisher told the media during the team's exit interviews on Sunday. "I'm still struggling with the results of last night. I haven't got a chance to kind of step back emotionally. That's important to do, so that whatever is next, there has to be a separation from the end of the season and then I can go from there."
Knicks president Phil Jackson, Fisher's coach when he won five championships with the Lakers, wants his former player in New York. Fisher's name has also appeared on the Lakers' reported list of candidates for their vacant head coaching spot — both tempting situations for the veteran.
"There's for sure huge layers added to [the decision]," Fisher said. "The personal relationship and professional relationship that I've had with Phil Jackson over the years, and being in the position that he's in. And also, with the Lakers having an opening, it for sure adds layers to it. But like other important decisions in life, I don't think you can be driven by what's going on externally. You have to have an internal set of boundaries and just kind of a compass that you make decisions by. I'll combine all those things as I try and make the best decision possible."
And then there's Brooks, who in six seasons has led Oklahoma City to a Finals appearance and four division titles. But Brooks' criticism spawns from what OKC has not accomplished — a championship — and the feeling that he has too much talent to work with and not get it done. That talent supports its coach, though.
"That's our guy," Durant told ESPN.com's Royce Young. "I'm riding with him. I'm riding with him. It's easy for everybody on the outside to criticize, but once you're in the fire, once you're in that arena, those are the guys that matter."
Russell Westbrook, Scott Brooks and Kevin Durant (AP Photo)
"Ever since I've been here and Scotty became the coach, he's done a great job in having confidence in me personally," Westbrook added. "There's times where things have gone south and he's the only that always, always had my back, regardless of what happened."
Given Oklahoma City's general success under Brooks, the idea he may be canned for playoff series losses to championship-level opponents in the deep Western Conference is absurd. But it's less absurd than the same criticism directed towards Pacers coach Frank Vogel, who can't seem to get by LeBron James and the Heat in the East.
The problem for Brooks is a .534 postseason winning percentage compared to a .633 regular-season mark as a head coach. He's also been criticized for his handling of the Thunder's starting lineup, rotation and style of play — both offensive and defensive.
Of course we'll never know the answer to the theoretical Fisher vs. Brooks as coach question until (and if) Fisher accepts a position, and there's no guarantee he'll have coaching success ... no matter what Jackson thinks.
But if both trends continue — Fisher's coaching stock rising and Brooks' coaching stock falling — it'll be interesting in five-to-10 years to look back and think: "Man, Oklahoma City should have just fired its coach and hired its backup point guard."