Phil Jackson-to-the-Knicks Would Be a Bad, Bad Idea

[I’ll be doing weekly vidoes with CineSport on a variety of topics. Click play, and laugh at my unkempt desk and soccer trophy – hey, everyone got one – from 30+ years ago.]

Phil Jackson supposedly will notify the Knicks today if he’s interested in running the team’s basketball operations. According to a report, Jackson turned down an offer to coach the team two weeks ago; today, he’ll decide whether or not to take a spot in the front office running the team’s floundering basketball operations.

The decision to even offer the job to Jackson? Stupid.

Jackson’s never been a GM. He’s a brilliant leader on the court and in the huddle, one of the best not only in NBA history, but in the history of sports. The 11-time NBA champ’s last coaching job was a bad one – who can forget the Lakers being swept by eventual champion Dallas in 2011? Jackson turns 69 in September. He coached Michael Jordan to six titles and Kobe to five, but we’re supposed to believe he’s going to return to the league to try to raise the going-nowhere Knicks from the dregs of the NBA?

The Knicks are in salary cap hell, have no 1st round draft pick this summer, and Phil Jackson is going to be the answer? Why would Jackson even entertain this idea? It feels like Jackson is doing his old franchise a favor – hey, act like you’re interested for a couple weeks, which would remove the stench of the season for a minute, and make it look like we’re trying to do something.

Even if Jackson comes to New York, what’s the plan here – keep Melo, magically acquire Kevin Love and make a run at Russell Westbrook? He’s going to do all of this in 16 months how, exactly? The Knicks have bad contracts and no trade bait.

Spend money on a real GM who has built something – if you insist on a name, how about Daryl Morey? – and let the teardown project begin immediately. Starting with Melo. Ship him out of town for picks, and begin anew.