In 2014, the New York Knicks decided to hire legendary head coach Phil Jackson as their team president with the belief that he could turn them into a legitimate title contender in the Eastern Conference. In 2016, Jackson succeeded to create his own “Super Team” featuring Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, and Kristaps Porzingis. Unfortunately, the Knicks’ “Super Team” didn’t live up to expectations and even failed to end the team’s playoff drought in the 2016-17 NBA season.
Phil Jackson’s tenure as the Knicks president didn’t turn out well as he was seen having a dispute with some of his players and coaching staffs. After clashing with Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, the Knicks decided to part ways with Jackson. In an exclusive interview with ESPN , Knicks owner James Dolan revealed the major reason behind their decision to fire Jackson as team president.
Dolan said that it wasn’t Jackson’s poor relationships with Anthony and Porzingis that led to his firing but his insistence of the triangle offense to the Knicks.
“I think Phil knew it, too. I think he hoped I would have more stamina, but I didn’t…. I think it was much more about this triangle thing. It was much more about his philosophy, that he couldn’t get the group to buy into it. And I think he got yessed a lot. I think they’d be underneath their breath going, ‘This is not a great idea,’ and he got into conflict with some players over it. But I think he tried hard to get his system in. I just don’t think he ever got it in.”
James Dolan has not ruled out selling the Knicks https://t.co/uij2nSlcfv
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) December 17, 2018
When he arrived in New York, Phil Jackson has already been urging the Knicks to use the triangle offense – the strategy that helped him win multiple NBA championship titles with the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers. Unfortunately, Jackson’s triangle offense didn’t seem to work out with the Knicks, and some coaching staffs and players were uncomfortable with the system.
Since Jackson’s departure, many things have changed with the Knicks. They traded Carmelo Anthony to make Kristaps Porzingis as the new face of the franchise and hired David Fizdale as their new head coach. As of now, the Knicks are focused on the development of their young players while waiting for Porzingis to return from an injury.
When the season is over, the Knicks are expected to become major players in the 2019 NBA free agency where they have the opportunity to acquire at least one of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, Kemba Walker, and Jimmy Butler.
