Phil Jackson And The Knicks Expected To Announce Breakup
Phil Jackson’s forgettable tenure as the president of the New York Knicks will reportedly be coming to an end as soon as Wednesday morning. Ramona Shelburne dropped that bomb late Tuesday night with a string of tweets.
Knicks and President Phil Jackson are expected to announce that they're parting ways early Wednesday morning, sources told ESPN.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 28, 2017
Conversations between Jackson and Knicks owner James Dolan accelerated this week when the Knicks decided they would NOT buy out Carmelo
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 28, 2017
Phil had obviously made it known he thought it was time for the organization to move on from Carmelo, but with no way of doing that....
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 28, 2017
And no plans to lead the organization beyond the remaining two years on his contract, Jackson and Dolan had to decide how to proceed
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 28, 2017
It’s a move that was long overdue and Knicks owner James Dolan had to do it.
Jackson was named the team’s president on March 18, 2014, signing a five-year, $60 million contract. In three full seasons at the head of the franchise, Jackson’s rosters compiled a record of 80-166 (.325) and no playoff appearances. There was also zero appearance of growth or the development of any true identity.
Jackson’s dogged desire to implement the triangle offense was also a bone of contention for a number of players and potential coaching targets. His insistence on using his system, instead of giving a new coach autonomy hurt the Knicks’ chances to build a contender. Carmelo Anthony’s awful contract didn’t help matters much either.
Anthony decided to re-sign with the Knicks after the addition of Jackson to the franchise. His five-year, $124 million deal, combined with his steep decline on the court, has absolutely killed the franchise. Jackson openly clashed with the 10-time All-Star on numerous occasions and has been unsuccessful in his attempts to trade Melo as well.
Jackson’s tenure with the Knicks will be looked upon as an abject failure. Perhaps the one smart thing he did was to draft Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. But even then, Phil couldn’t help himself, as he has practically run the 21-year-old out of town already.