Phil Jackson’s tenure as the president of the New York Knicks has been rocky to say the least. The former head coach has been the target of much criticism from firing coaches to instilling his Triangle Offense into the gameplan.
That tumultuous road has led to many rumors about Jackson’s future in New York. He has an opt-out clause in his contract after this season, meaning he can move on from his role if he wishes to do so.
That opt-out nearly coincides with a different scenario in Los Angeles where Lakers co-owner Jim Buss has promised to step down if his team is not contending soon. There have been a bevy of reports indicating that Jackson could return to LA, where his fiancée (Lakers co-owner Jeanie Buss) lives, to lead the Lakers to their next step.
Jackson spoke to ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan recently about a few topics. Most notably, he spoke about that opt-out clause and the Lakers:
JM: You have an opt-out clause in your contract after this season. Do you plan to exercise it?
PJ: I have not entertained that. I’m looking for this Knicks team to get back into a situation where they are competitive. Do I have to win a championship before I feel I’ve done the job I’ve been asked to do, which is to bring this group back to that competitive level? No, I don’t. We’re starting to make progress. I like a lot of the things we are doing here. But we’ve got more to do.
JM: Lakers executive vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss said if the Lakers didn’t make it to the Western Conference finals by 2017, he would step down. It’s unlikely the Lakers will meet that goal. Why not go back and run your old team?
PJ: They’re moving forward in the right direction. Luke (Walton) has them engaged, Brian (Shaw) is an associate head coach; they have a core group of guys that will get it done. It was never important to me to go back and be a part of that. Especially not now. I have this job, this commitment.
JM: Then why bother to include the opt-out clause?
PJ: The real issue with the opt out was simply my rationale regarding the (potential) lockout. If it was going to happen in December and everybody chose to walk away, there was no way I was going to sit in New York for three, four months when I didn’t have a job, because (the players) aren’t even allowed to show up to work. So, in that case, I would go back to L.A.
So, Phil Jackson is determined to sit this one through and lead the Knicks. The chances of a lock-out are slim, at this point.
Jackson has been imperfect in his role as the team president and who knows if he can turn it around. But at least sticking in one situation will give him the continuity to try and make things work. Whether that means a Knicks championship, the playoffs, or something in between remains to be seen.
