The New York Knicks and embattled team president Phil Jackson are parting ways — according to multiple media reports — with the official news of Jackson’s departure from the struggling franchise forthcoming.
Owner James Dolan’s uncertainty with Jackson as the organization’s top decision maker apparently took its toll, considering the former Hall of Fame coach still has $24 million left on his original five-year contract.
New York has missed the playoffs for four consecutive seasons and lost at least 50 games in the past three — all under Jackson. The Knicks were clearly in a rebuilding phase. But the timing of the breakup shows it was less about underachievement and bad decisions, such as Jackson’s hiring and firing of former player Derek Fisher, and more about Jackson’s recent handlings with the Knicks’ two stars, Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony.
Jackson faced scrutiny in recent weeks for revealing publicly he was fielding offers to trade Porzingis, the Knicks’ Latavian phenom who was picked No. 4 pick in 2015. Porzingis skipped exit interviews with Jackson and Knicks general manager Steve Mills in April because of frustration with the team’s current state, which likely led to Jackson’s demeanor with the star.
Most recently, Jackson’s handling of Anthony was a noted disaster. Jackson made it well known in the public eye that he felt it was best for the Knicks and Anthony to part ways. Anthony, who has a no-trade clause, refused to waive it despite Jackson's remarks. There were also numerous public and unnecessary jabs in Anthony's direction this past season.
In one of his first moves with the organization, Jackson brought Anthony b ack to New York with a five-year $124.9 million deal, but negotiated the rare no-trade clause and a 15% trade kicker in the agreement.
Additionally, ESPN reported that players and coaching staff felt frustration with Jackson’s insistence on running the triangle offense — an offense that won him, as a coach, six championships with the Chicago Bulls and five with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Jackson, 71, came to New York with expectations of restoring the franchise to relevance, but he’s struggled as an NBA executive at this stage of his career, making a bevy of mistakes with free agency and trades that have set the organization further back then when he got there.
