New York Knicks team president and NBA coaching legend Phil Jackson has never been shy about opening up about his life within the NBA. Throughout a multitude of interviews and press conferences, as well as several books that he has written, Jackson has openly discussed interactions he has had with players, coaches, and executives. Over the summer, Jackson spoke about J.R. Smith’s behavior in New York leading up to the trade that sent him to the Cleveland Cavaliers:
He didn’t really respond. He’s a very sensitive guy, with his big doe eyes. He looked like he was going to tear up. But he finally responded that he was going through some issues with his gal.
This turned some heads at the time that it happened but now it will be an even bigger story. As Smith gets ready to play against his former team, ESPN’s Ian Begley asked the shooting guard what he thought about Jackson’s comments and Smith did not hold back:
It was crazy to me because I try to leave my personal life on the side and when somebody sits there, sits behind a desk and tells you to open up on what’s going on with you, you’re thinking that’s going to be between the two of y’all. So, for me, it tells me something I already knew. But to come from someone like Phil, it’s just, it’s crazy. It makes you not want to tell anybody anything [that has] anything to do with your business. It was tough, but that’s how he handles stuff, that’s how he does it. I’ve talked to a few people and they don’t understand why he did it, but I definitely won’t have that conversation with anybody else after that. So it just stuck with me. It’s all right
Smith certainly has a point. If a player is asked to open up about his personal life to an executive, he should expect that those talks stay private. Jackson’s constant talking about his players’ lives and behaviors has a way of alienating those athletes. This could also have some sort of effect on the Knicks’ free agency chances, but more importantly it creates a culture that holds very little trust between players and team higher-ups. Jackson has had a lot of success in the league by doing the right things on the court, but he has certainly had plenty of missteps off of it.
