Phil Jackson Taunts Los Angeles Lakers’ Fans, Owners About Passing On Kristaps Porzingis
New York Knicks president Phil Jackson is never one to miss an opportunity, especially when that chance is to take a jab at his former team. The former coach of the Los Angeles Lakers did just that this week, calling out the team he led to five NBA Championships over their selection in the 2015 NBA Draft.
The New York Post obtained excerpts from an MSG Network special on the Jeff Hornacek hiring. On the program, Phil Jackson recalled a conversation he had with members of the Los Angeles Lakers’ employees about Kristaps Porzingis, 7-foot-3 athlete for the New York Knicks that recently finished second in the NBA Rookie of the Year voting to Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns.
“We knew that [Porzingis] had a lot of talent. We saw that even in the workout with him shooting, and I had some fun with one of the Buss guys and I told him after [our] workout, ‘You guys are going to be sorry if you don’t pick up Porzingis with the second pick.’ They didn’t, we did.”
.@PhilJackson11, Jeff Hornacek, & @scmills join @AlTrautwig for a special @MSGNetworks feature. #WelcomeJeff pic.twitter.com/a2ir4iIvqZ
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) June 3, 2016
Instead of taking Kristaps Porzingis, the Los Angeles Lakers selected Ohio State freshman D’Angelo Russell. The first-year point guard recorded respectable numbers for the 2015-2016 campaign, finishing with a team best 1.2 steals per game to go along with 13.2 points and 3.3 assists per outing. Despite his contributions, the Los Angeles Lakers did not have a respectable year in Kobe Bryant’s final season, finishing with the second-worst record in the NBA at 17-65.
The opposite is true for the New York Knicks, as they took Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. Under Phil Jackson’s watch, the Latvian phenom averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game for the New York Knicks, helping the franchise to improve their win total by double figures this season. Those stats were second only to star Carmelo Anthony.
What prompted Phil Jackson to provide the seemingly unsolicited advice to the Los Angeles franchise? Lakers Nation reports that the move wasn’t a friendly gesture by Phil to help Jeanie Buss — the Los Angeles Lakers president — scout talent, the Los Angeles basketball blog explained.
“[A]t the time the consensus opinion on Porzingis was that he wasn’t NBA-ready. If Jackson did indeed tell the Lakers that they should pick him, as Knicks President it likely wasn’t done with L.A.’s best interests in mind. Jackson may be engaged to Lakers President Jeanie Buss, but he wasn’t going to do the franchise any favors. The ulterior motive is clear: if the Lakers selected Porzingis, the 76ers were rumored to covet Russell, which would have allowed Okafor to fall to the Knicks.”
Rumors swirled earlier this season that Phil Jackson may be eyeing a return to the Los Angeles Lakers as New York fizzled down stretch, including a nine-game losing streak that caused the Knicks to finish 3-12 in their final 15 games. The Inquisitr previously reported that Phil Jackson and the New York franchise could part ways after next season, causing rumors to swirl that Phil could land back with the Lakers in some front-office capacity.
With Phil Jackson seemingly committed to New York through next season, the former Knicks standout is focusing on his team’s needs to surround Kristaps Porzingis with talent. To that end, NBA rumors have swirled that New York will go after a strong point guard to guide their offense. Jeremy Lin and Rajon Rondo appear to be the top targets for Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks, according to a media report.
What do you think about Phil Jackson taking a jab at the Los Angeles Lakers about passing on Kristaps Porzingis in the 2015 NBA Draft? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
[Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images]
