When the Knicks introduced Phil Jackson as President of Basketball Operations back in 2014, many Knicks fans believed the team was finally on the path to respectability. Jackson brought an aura of competence and an abundance of experience that the Knicks hadn’t had in a very long time. However, his time in New York, aside from a couple of exceptions, has been a complete failure. Since Jackson’s hiring, the Knicks are 76-157, have missed the postseason the last two years, and are going to miss it again this year. As of right now, the New York Knicks are just one game ahead of the Philadelphia 76ers; a team that, at this point, looks to be in a way better position to build a future than the Knicks. But when we talk about the failure of the Knicks, it’s not a matter of winning record. It’s about losing credibility around the league. It’s about their lack of direction. It’s about the front office repeatedly making mistakes. Phil Jackson was supposed to solve all of these problems but his results have been pretty poor.
So let’s try to put things in order. First of all, let’s talk about coaching.
When Jackson came in, he fired Mike Woodson and tried to replace him with Steve Kerr. That plan failed after Kerr accepted an offer from the Golden State Warriors. Jackson then turned his attention to another old friend, Derek Fisher. Fisher was fired in the middle of his second year after an incident with Matt Barnes that put the franchise in a difficult position. After his departure from the Knicks, Fisher opened up about his difficult time in New York and explained how it was difficult for him to operate under Jackson. Kurt Rambis, a longtime friend of Jackson, finished that season as head coach. For several weeks last summer, Rambis looked like the clear frontrunner to become the permanent head coach. However, Jackson decided to hire former Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek instead. Hornacek was the first coach with no previous ties with Jackson to work under him. In the first part of the season, it looked like Jackson gave some freedom to Hornacek, not forcing him to run strictly the Triangle Offense. But after the All-Star break, the Knicks returned to old habits, playing way more Triangle Offense than they had initially. Just like the season before, the team fell apart and quickly climbed down to the bottom of the Eastern Conference.
This is one of the biggest problems the Knicks have under Phil Jackson. He has never given true freedom to the coaches to develop an offense. His obsession with the Triangle Offense has been a problem for the players, who have expressed their frustration about it before. Players want to shoot more three-pointers, they want a faster pace, and they want to drive to the basket. But the kind of offense that Phil wants to run doesn’t include these elements often enough to keep everyone happy. A healthy helping of mid-range jumpers and a slower pace is what Phil is prescribing to his team, despite the League moving towards the opposite direction. Moreover, what’s the point in hiring a coach that runs a certain system if you don’t let them implement it? If Jackson loves the triangle so much, maybe he should coach the team, as former Knicks coach Larry Brown suggested a couple of weeks ago.
The only decision that Jackson really nailed was drafting Kristaps Porzingis. The Latvian had a very promising rookie season that should have persuaded Jackson to build around him. Instead of doing what seemed logical, he surrounded Porzingis with the worst kind of supporting cast on the market. He first traded for Derrick Rose, a player past his prime that likes to keep the ball in his hands. He then signed Joakim Noah to a four-year $72 million deal that not only handicapped the Knicks money wise, but it also handicapped them offensively. The idea was to put a good rim protector next to Porzingis but giving that kind of money to Noah, who has had several injuries, didn’t make sense. So far, Noah has been a distant memory of the player who was in Chicago.
He will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Even will all that mishap, Kristaps is making the most of his situation. He has been underused this season but despite that, his numbers have increased from his rookie season. Porzingis is averaging 18 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2 blocks per game but has expressed several doubts about how he is being utilized and the team experiments throughout the season.
Jackson has also been less than stellar with the media. He has created several useless controversies that don’t do anything but work against the team. First, he took shots at Lebron James and his ‘posse’, and then he had an internal dispute with Carmelo Anthony. Many people accused Jackson of using journalist Charley Rosen to shape the image about Carmelo and the trade situation. Carmelo, so far, has shown no interest in waiving his no-trade clause but that could change if the Knicks find the right suitor this summer.
Jackson’s actions have done more damage than Phil could imagine and the owner, James Dolan, isn’t helping. He is also doing his very best to make sure there isn’t one favorable opinion left about the Knicks in the city. Former Pacers legend Reggie Miller summed up the current situation of the Knicks pretty well in just one tweet last February.
If you’re a FA to be, why would you play for an Owner who treats the past greats like this or a President who stabs star player in the back?
— Reggie Miller (@ReggieMillerTNT) February 9, 2017
Trading Carmelo Anthony at this point career would make a lot of sense for the Knicks but, after months of an internal war with Jackson, his trade value has never been lower. However, one thing shouldn’t be forgotten, it’s mostly Jackson’s fault. When Anthony re-signed with the team back in 2014, Jackson decided to give him a no-trade clause despite the fact that the Knicks had great leverage on him. He was being given the money, and the city. There was no need to give Carmelo that kind of power. Now, Jackson is forced to use his ‘mind tricks’ to solve a problem that he created himself, engaging Carmelo in a war of endurance.
There’s no doubt that Jackson has been one of the greatest coaches ever. He was able to create dynasties both in Chicago and Los Angeles but being an executive is a different kind of beast. So far, Jackson has failed in most of his duties as president. If after three years of work, Kristaps Porzingis is the only salvageable piece of your GM legacy, you’re not doing a good job. Yes, he also traded for Willy Hernangomez and has found some rotations pieces in Justin Holiday, Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Ron Baker, but this doesn’t save him from a negative report card for his tenure in New York.
If the Knicks really want to go in a new direction, they need to move on from both Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony. A full embrace of a rebuild and restructure around Kristaps Porzingis is not impossible. They need to realize that. The Knicks may also be able to stay somewhat competitive while they tackle the rebuilding process.
At 71 years old, maybe it’s time for Jackson to think about retirement if he can’t see what he has in front of him. Kristaps Porzingis is the only thing that matters. He is their future. That’s the only goal that Knicks should focus on. In order to do that, all the distractions created by Phil Jackson need to disappear.
Never seen anything like SCurry? Remind you of Chris Jackson/ Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, who had a short but brilliant run in NBA?
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) February 28, 2016
NBA analysts give me some diagnostics on how 3pt oriented teams are faring this playoffs…seriously, how’s it goink?
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) May 10, 2015
Bleacher’s Ding almost rings the bell, but I learned you don’t change the spot on a leopard with Michael Graham in my CBA daze.
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) February 7, 2017
