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Peter Solari Follow @4PeteSakeNY
According to Michael Grange of SportsNet, Knicks President Phil Jackson has had enough of New York, and wants to return to Los Angeles to be closer to his fiance, Jeanie Buss, daughter of Lakers owner Jerry Buss.
Grange cites his own "nosing around NBA circles" to report:
"Jackson badly wants out of New York, preferring to return back to Los Angeles to be near his fiance, Lakers scion Jeanie Buss. Jackson is believed to have an out in his Knicks deal that could free him up to do just that at the end of next season unless things between him and Dolan become untenable before that. It's believed that as soon as Jeanie's brother Jim Buss - blamed for the Lakers current free fall - is somehow removed from the scene, Jackson will be back as soon as he can engineer it."While some may look at this as a setback for the franchise, it might be the best thing that's happened to them since Jackson strolled through the Madison Square Garden doors in 2014. Even though he recently assured the organization he was in it for the long haul, Knicks fans would likely forgive him for going back on his word this time.
While there was certainly excitement surrounding the Knicks' hiring of Jackson in an executive role, there was a lot of skepticism too, and sadly, that skepticism has become a reality.
Jackson came to New York with more championship rings than he had fingers to accommodate them, including two as player with the Knicks in the 70's. However, the vast majority of his success came as a head coach, not a general manager. It probably didn't hurt that he was coaching some all-time greats, either. Coming to a dysfunctional franchise like the Knicks is like coming to another world for someone of Jackson's pedigree, and he isn't built to withstand that kind of culture shock.
Jackson's New York tenure has been hindered by his insistence on the Knicks running the "triangle" offense. While Jackson has coached 11 teams running the triangle, to NBA titles, he did so with Hall of Fame players named Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant among others. The system has also been criticized by some, including Deadspin's Tom Ley, as archaic in the modern NBA. That hasn't stopped Jackson from trying to install the triangle in New York, and unfortunately for the Knicks, the results have been disastrous.
To his credit, Jackson hasn't left the franchise in financial ruins like some of his predecessors did, but if that's the standard the Knicks have set for their front office, they'll never return to basketball relevancy.
Jackson's first big move in New York was to hire a coach before the 2015 season. He made a hard push for his former Chicago Bulls guard, Steve Kerr, to the Golden State Warriors, and settled for Derek Fisher, who was his point guard with the Lakers. Neither Kerr or Fisher had any coaching experience when they were hired by the Warriors and Knicks respectively, and were only considered by Jackson because of their familiarity with the triangle, as well as the influence Jackson would have on them. It's worth noting, however, that Kerr doesn't even run the triangle in Golden State, because it's difficult to learn.
After securing a coach, Jackson began trading away all of the players he felt didn't fit the triangle, including the team's best defender, who was acquired by the Dallas Mavericks for a bag of balls.
In 2015, Chandler enjoyed a resurgent season in Dallas, while Kerr led Golden State to a 67-15 record and an NBA title. This season, Kerr has the Warriors two wins shy of the all-time NBA record for wins in a season; 73.
Meanwhile, Fisher guided the Knicks to a franchise-worst 17-65 record in 2015. This year, things were off to a better start, but not by much. Fisher was fired in February, with the Knicks' record sitting at 23-31, and replaced by longtime Jackson-assistant, Kurt Rambis.
For those keeping score at home, from his hiring on March 18, 2014 until he fired Fisher on February 8, 2016, a span just short of two years, Jackson's great triangle experiment has produced only 40 wins, and the Knicks on their third head coach under his watch. Why Jackson chooses to continue down this path, and why ownership continues to let him, may never be known.
Recent reports indicate that Jackson is pushing the Knicks to remove Rambis' interim tag and make him the full time coach. It's not surprising. The two men go way back, and Rambis is open to teaching the Knicks the triangle offense. Rambis also allows Jackson to have input at the team's practices, which is a way for Jackson to scratch his coaching itch, without the full weight of the job on his shoulders.
To Rambis' credit, the Knicks have looked more competent in the triangle with him at the helm, but they're still far from good, compiling a 9-17 record on his watch.
Making Rambis the full time coach is far from ideal for the Knicks. Rambis has spent the vast majority of his career as an assistant, and his head coaching credentials aren't flattering. He has a 65-162 career coaching record, including a 32-132 stint in two seasons as head coach of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Outside of his time in Minnesota, he's never coached a team for an entire NBA season.
More concerning if you're a Knicks fan, is that a Coach Rambis would undoubtedly mean continuing down Jackson's road of installing the triangle offense, which has been miserable to this point.
Knicks legend Patrick Ewing has thrown his hat into the ring of prospective Knicks coaches, but that remains unlikely. Ewing, a Hall of Fame center, has been bouncing around the league as an assistant coach for more than a decade since he's retired, but has never gotten serious consideration for a head coaching gig. However, in a side-by-side comparison of he and Rambis, his stock rises, especially among Knicks fans.
This brings us back to Grange's report on SportsNet. If there is any truth to the rumor that Jackson wants out of New York, ownership needs to get on top of it right now.
According to Grange's report, Jackson can get out of his Knicks contract after next season, allowing him to orchestrate a return to the Lakers. This, of course, means Jackson is still in line to choose the team's next coach. If he's already got one foot out the door, allowing him to do so, could really set the franchise back.
An argument can certainly be made that Jackson is steering the Knicks in the wrong direction, but if ownership has faith in him and his plan, at least everyone would be moving in the same direction. The last thing this team needs is to commit to Jackson's plan now, only to scrap it a year later and start over when Jackson leaves.
Regardless of what happens, the Knicks will have still have a ton of work left to do. Unfortunately for Knicks fans, that light at the end of tunnel, is still out of sight.
