Phil Jackson on Vacation During the Knicks Coaching Search Means He Probably Has Somebody in Mind
By Jason McIntyre
Phil Jackson and the Knicks were a bad marriage from the start: They were desperate for a return to the glory years of the 90s, when the franchise mattered; he was the once-great Zen Master with 11 Championship rings.
Two years in and it was the disaster I predicted it would be.
The good: Drafted Kristaps Porzingis. I was way off on Porzingis as a prospect and certainly as a rookie. He greatly exceeded expectations.
Other good things Jackson has accomplished?
Nothing. He could get partial credit for signing Arron Afflalo (12.8 ppg, 38% on 3-pointers), but given Jackson whiffed on everyone else (Greg Monroe, LaMarcus Aldridge, etc), how is that a win? Afflalo wasn’t a difference-maker.
Derek Fisher was fired a year-and-a-half after Jackson hired him. So how is the coaching search going? Not well. The best coach is off the market (Tom Thibodeau, who wanted complete control). The Lakers got Luke Walton, the Wizards got Scott Brooks, the Suns kept Earl Watson, and the Nets hired somebody named Kenny Atkinson.
The Knicks? The man in charge of the coaching search, Phil Jackson is on vacation. He’s doing some travel to the midwest, like Iowa and one of the Dakotas. I’m not entirely sure why, but he’ll probably reference an obscure book when explaining why he’s on vacation and the team needs a coach.
Surely Jackson’s vacation means he has a plan, right? Like maybe he’s got an assistant coach from one of the teams still in the playoffs on his radar?
Gosh I hope so.
Because the idea of Kurt Rambis returning to the sideline inspires me to dream of another 28-ish win season.