Knicks and Phil Jackson Part Ways
The tumultuous relationship between the Knicks and Phil Jackson has finally come to an end. Phil Jackson known as possibly the greatest coach of all time with eleven (11) NBA titles and having coached Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’neal, but his record as an executive is something to be desired. The Knicks will now try to regroup and focus on building around the likes of Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose.
The New York Knicks and team president Phil Jackson announced Wednesday morning that they mutually agreed to part ways.
“After careful thought and consideration, we mutually agreed that the Knicks will be going in a different direction,” Knicks owner James Dolan said via statement. “Phil Jackson is one of the most celebrated and successful individuals in the history of the NBA. His legacy in the game of basketball is unmatched. We wish him the best and thank him for his service to the Knicks as both a player and an executive.”
Conversations about what was best for the team’s future between Jackson and Dolan accelerated this week when the franchise decided it would not buy out embattled forward Carmelo Anthony, sources said.
Before the Knicks mercifully ended his tenure as president, Phil Jackson — owner of an unmatched coaching résumé — had proved to be among the most uncoachable executives in league history.
James Dolan will likely have to eat more than $20 million now that Phil Jackson is out as team president. But this isn’t the first time the Knicks owner tossed a ton of money at someone on their way out the door.
Derrick Rose is set to become a free agent for the first time in his career, and the Knicks have “legitimate” interest in re-signing him, sources told ESPN’s Ian Begley.
Jackson, 71, had made it well known that he felt it was best for Anthony and the organization to part ways, both publicly and privately, but Anthony refused to waive his no-trade clause, and the Knicks were determined not to accommodate any request for a buyout. Anthony has two years worth more than $54 million remaining on his deal.
With no end to the stalemate in sight and free agency beginning Saturday, Jackson’s discussions with Dolan accelerated late Tuesday night and the decision was made to part ways. Some close to Dolan had been pushing him to consider firing Jackson for much of the season, sources told ESPN’s Ian Begley.
“The New York Knicks will always hold a special place in my heart,” Jackson said in a statement. “This team and this town launched my NBA career. I will forever be indebted to them. I am grateful to Mr. Dolan for giving me the opportunity to return here.
It had become clear, sources said, that Jackson had no plans to remain beyond the two years left on the five-year contract he initially signed in 2014 that paid him $12 million a year. So with no clear path forward from the toxic situation with Anthony, a constant public relations war over Jackson’s preferred triangle offense and new concerns about the organization’s relationship with Latvian phenom and 2015 No. 4 overall pick Kristaps Porzingis, sources said it was clear things had reached a breaking point by the eve of free agency.
Steve
Steve is an affordable multifamily housing professional that is also the co-founder of Whiskey Congress. Steve has written for national publications such as The National Marijuana News and other outlets as a guest blogger on topics covering sports, politics, and cannabis. Steve loves whiskey, cigars, and uses powerlifting as an outlet to deal with the fact that no one listens to his brilliant ideas.
