The New York Knicks desperately need a Hall-of-Famer coach next season that could bring back the Knicks to its glory days.
Hall-of-Famer coach Phil Jackson might be the answer.
The Knicks are desperate to shake things up, win some games and keep Carmelo Anthony in the Big Apple, so it should come as little surprise to learn that the team reportedly met with Hall of Famer Jackson about becoming its next head coach.
However, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports that “Phil Jackson has been offered a front office position with the Knicks and is expected to give the club a decision sometime next week.”
According to the staff of ESPN, Knicks president and general manager Steve Mills spoke with Jackson two weeks ago about the opportunity. However, Jackson reportedly rebuffed the offer and explained that he was “not interested in the position at this time.”
However, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports that “Phil Jackson has been offered a front office position with the Knicks and is expected to give the club a decision sometime next week.”
According to the staff of ESPN, Knicks president and general manager Steve Mills spoke with Jackson two weeks ago about the opportunity. However, Jackson reportedly rebuffed the offer and explained that he was “not interested in the position at this time.”
Nets offering Jackson before
The Knicks aren’t the first New York-based franchise to speak with Jackson about a coaching job, as the Brooklyn Nets reportedly gauged the 68-year-old’s interest in filling their head coaching vacancy after firing P.J. Carlesimo in 2013.
However, Jackson decided to turn down that offer and instead took a position advising the Detroit Pistons during their search for a new head coach this past offseason.
It’s likely going to cost the Knicks, or another team, a pretty penny if they somehow plan to convince the 11-time NBA championship-winning head coach to come back to the sidelines.
When he threw his hat into the ring for the Lakers’ opening after the team fired Mike Brown five games into the 2012-13 campaign, Jackson’s list of demands reportedly included a slice of ownership and permission to let his assistants handle the coaching duties for certain road games in addition to an exorbitant salary.
However, the odds of the Knicks offering all that and convincing Jackson that they are in position to win in the immediate future are immensely slim. There is an even slimmer chance that the Zen Master would be willing to take up coaching responsibilities after being away from the game since the 2011 NBA playoffs.
Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times reported that Jackson revealed last summer that his final season was a favor to the late Dr. Jerry Buss and that he would prefer to return to the game in a front office capacity, if at all.
The Knicks certainly aren’t a great situation to return to for the aging legend. The team is currently third in the Atlantic Division at 23-40. New York is sitting in 10th place in the abysmal Eastern Conference, way behind the eight-seeded Atlanta Hawks with the Playoffs looming.
To make matters worse, the franchise is facing the very real possibility of superstar Anthony opting out of his contract this offseason and defecting to another organization. It’s been a long season for Knicks fans and may only get worse this summer.
While day-dreaming about the Zen Master coming in and rescuing this team from mediocrity may be fun for Knicks fans, it’s simply an unrealistic expectation.
New York is staring down a tough summer and needs to rebuild from the ground up. This team can dig itself out of its current hole, but it’s going to take hard work and determination, not the hiring of a man who has no interest in returning to coaching.
The Knicks aren’t the first New York-based franchise to speak with Jackson about a coaching job, as the Brooklyn Nets reportedly gauged the 68-year-old’s interest in filling their head coaching vacancy after firing P.J. Carlesimo in 2013.
However, Jackson decided to turn down that offer and instead took a position advising the Detroit Pistons during their search for a new head coach this past offseason.
It’s likely going to cost the Knicks, or another team, a pretty penny if they somehow plan to convince the 11-time NBA championship-winning head coach to come back to the sidelines.
When he threw his hat into the ring for the Lakers’ opening after the team fired Mike Brown five games into the 2012-13 campaign, Jackson’s list of demands reportedly included a slice of ownership and permission to let his assistants handle the coaching duties for certain road games in addition to an exorbitant salary.
However, the odds of the Knicks offering all that and convincing Jackson that they are in position to win in the immediate future are immensely slim. There is an even slimmer chance that the Zen Master would be willing to take up coaching responsibilities after being away from the game since the 2011 NBA playoffs.
Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times reported that Jackson revealed last summer that his final season was a favor to the late Dr. Jerry Buss and that he would prefer to return to the game in a front office capacity, if at all.
The Knicks certainly aren’t a great situation to return to for the aging legend. The team is currently third in the Atlantic Division at 23-40. New York is sitting in 10th place in the abysmal Eastern Conference, way behind the eight-seeded Atlanta Hawks with the Playoffs looming.
To make matters worse, the franchise is facing the very real possibility of superstar Anthony opting out of his contract this offseason and defecting to another organization. It’s been a long season for Knicks fans and may only get worse this summer.
While day-dreaming about the Zen Master coming in and rescuing this team from mediocrity may be fun for Knicks fans, it’s simply an unrealistic expectation.
New York is staring down a tough summer and needs to rebuild from the ground up. This team can dig itself out of its current hole, but it’s going to take hard work and determination, not the hiring of a man who has no interest in returning to coaching.
Jackson as a Knick
In 1967, Phil Jackson was drafted in the second round by the New York Knicks.
While he was a good all-around athlete, with unusually long arms, he was limited offensively and compensated with intelligence and hard work on defense.
Jackson eventually established himself as a fan favorite and one of the NBA’s leading substitutes. He was a top reserve on the Knicks team that won the NBA title in 1973.
Jackson did not play during New York’s 1969-70 championship season due to spinal fusion surgery; however, he authored a book entitled Take It All, a photo diary of the Knicks’ 1970 championship run.
Soon after the 1973 title, several key starters retired, creating an opening for Jackson in the starting lineup.
In the 1974-75 NBA season, Jackson and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Bob Dandridge shared the lead for total personal fouls, with 330 each.
Jackson lived in Leonia, New Jersey during this time.
After going across the Hudson in 1978 to play two seasons for the New Jersey Nets, he retired as a player in 1980.
— with reports from BleacherReport.com
