By: Kylan Watson
The New York Knicks and Phil Jackson mutually parted ways yesterday. This marked an end to a very strenuous tenure to the Jackson era in New York. Jackson had become more trouble than he was worth. James Dolan finally became an NBA owner, and got rid of his troubled President of Basketball Operations. With the release of Jackson, maybe the Knicks can get back on track as a franchise.
The Knicks have been a sorry franchise, since Jackson took over in 2014. Jackson managed to sour his relationship with Kristaps Porzingis. Jackson did this by trying to trade Porzingis last week, because he missed an exit meeting with Jackson last month. Porzingis was the only thing that Jackson had gotten right during his three years with the Knicks. Jackson drafted Porzingis in 2015.
Adding to the horrible state of the Knicks was the fact that under Jackson, the franchise had not been to the playoffs since 2013. 2013, was also the last year the Knicks had won more than 40 games.
Jackson also managed to not do the thing that the franchise and the fans had hoped, bring in marquee free agents. One of the many reasons free agents were turned off from the Knicks, was Jackson’s insistence on running the triangle offense. The league is moving away from that archaic form of basketball, to a freer flowing form of basketball.
What may have spurred Dolan to fire Jackson, were the rumors of Carmelo Anthony seeking a buyout because he had gotten tired of dealing with Jackson. Anthony had to endure Jackson publicly embarrassing him, by saying, “He just couldn’t win with Carmelo on his team.”
The one thing Dolan could not allow was for Anthony to leave the Knicks, so Dolan finally woke up. He realized that his franchise would be better off without Jackson, so he got rid of him. Now, comes the hard part for Dolan, is finding an NBA executive that wants to right the ship with a disgruntled Carmelo Anthony, seeking to leave New York.
Jackson wasted all that potential and hype he had as an executive. Maybe if he had spent more time running an NBA franchise instead of trying to be a shadow coach. His tenure with the Knicks may have ended differently. As it stands right now Jackson wasted all the goodwill he had left in the league, letting his ego ruin a storied NBA franchise.
