Phil Jackson to New York? We have all heard that before. When the Knicks were looking for a new head coach a year or two ago, they reached out to Jackson. He immediately refused their offer. Last week the Knicks met with Jackson again, and many thought this was the end of the Mike Woodson era in New York.
To everyone’s surprise, New York has offered Jackson a front office manager job, and he hasn’t said no. He has even said he feels he is ready to make his return to basketball. This isn’t too far fetched of a scenario if you consider that Phil got drafted by the Knicks in 1967 when he was still playing. He has strong ties to the Knicks, and maybe he will return to the NBA as a Knicks manager.
Jackson, or anyone for that matter, would be a great upgrade to James Dolan, whether he is working with Dolan, or taking over his job as general manager of the New York Knicks. Dolan is notoriously one of the worst general managers, not only in basketball, but in all of sports. He gives away picks for nothing and has made an unreal amount of ill-advised trades. Maybe the only trade I can think of that was good for the organization was the deal for Carmelo Anthony. Jackson could help the organization make the right decisions to become a championship contender again.
This may be a last ditch effort to keep Carmelo Anthony as well. The Knicks superstar has been clearly unhappy the past couple of weeks up until the Knicks current three-game winning streak. Anthony went on record saying that he is frustrated scoring 40+ points a night when they still lose. What else can Carmelo do for this team?
Other than Melo, the Knicks have been one of the worst teams in the league this year after finishing with the second seed in the East last year. They have no team chemistry and have not been hitting their shots all year. Last year the Knicks set a league record for most threes in a season, even more amazingly they hit them at a blazing 38 percent rate.
This year is especially disappointing for the organization because they are playing terribly during a year when they don’t even have their own draft pick, which will be a lottery pick.
Oh yeah, did I mention it is Carmelo Anthony’s contract year and he could opt out to leave after this season? Anthony is one of the most highly sought after free agents this offseason other than LeBron James. Teams such as the Bulls and Lakers have been directly linked to Carmelo’s name, and he has expressed interest in both of those teams. Melo wants to win more than anything, or so he says.
The Knicks will do anything in their power to show Melo that they are trying to improve this team and win a championship. Maybe Phil Jackson is the first step towards winning one. Jackson is a winner, so perhaps he will come to New York and help make this organization a winner too. I know I am not alone awaiting Jackson’s response to the Knicks’ offer.