Ever since Phil Jackson entered the Knicks front office, basketball in New York has been poor.
Jackson has failed to accept that his triangle offence philosophy is outdated, and he has completely failed to accept the direction of the league…three point shooting.
Over the last few months Jackson has openly told his superstar, Carmelo Anthony, that he is no longer wanted. Not only that, he has been listening to trade offers for the young Latvian star Kris Porzingis. Knicks fans were absolutely furious that the team President would even consider trading the 20 year old widely deemed the Star of the future in New York.
Unfortunately for New York, Jackson and the owner, James Dolan, have completely ruined the reputation of the Knicks, and have most likely destroyed any chances of acquiring some good free agents this summer. Dolan’s incident with Charles Oakley is still in the memory of many NBA fans. Jackson not wanting his star players and refusing to move away from the Triangle has resulted in players turning a blind eye to Madison Square Garden. They aren’t interested.
With Phil out of the question, Jeff Hornacek may finally have the opportunity to run the offence that he wants. The Knicks can play an up tempo, exciting style of basketball once again.
For the time being, General Manager Steve Mills will be in charge of the Free Agency process. With no more Phil Jackson, Jeff Teague has already expressed his interest in joining the Knicks in August.
The future of the Knicks front office is unclear. But according to ESPN Writer Ian Begley, owner James Dolan has long been a fan of Masai Ujiri, the man who has orchestrated the success of the Toronto Raptors.
The Phil Jackson era is over. The Knicks can go back to being relevant once again.
