Phil Jackson is NY Knicks Team President

[EmpireWF]

http://nypost.com/2014/03/11/phil-jackson-knicks-have-agreement-in-principle/

He'll become Team President in some form while current GM Steve Mills will remain under Jackson.

Now it appears Jackson will attempt to help resuscitate a Knicks franchise that has collapsed this season. The Knicks began to rebuild in 2008 to get under the salary cap in an attempt to sign LeBron James.

Apart from last season’s No. 2 seed, the results didn’t materialize, with the Knicks a long shot to make the playoffs and looking to rebuild again with Carmelo Anthony as their centerpiece. Anthony is a free agent this summer and doesn’t know Jackson well, but Jackson has 11 championship rings with which to woo Anthony.

Jackson does have experience building an NBA roster. Before his coaching exploits with the Bulls and Lakers, he worked for five seasons in the defunct CBA in Albany, where he constructed fluctuating rosters in a chaotic environment.

Whatever he ends up doing, whether it's next year, two or five years, when the relationship ends, it will be nasty.



Meanwhile, Isola says Dolan has Bill Bradley helping recruit Jackson. The deal may include upwards of $15+ million a year plus minority ownership in the Knicks.

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/bill-assists-zen-dolan-solicits-bradley-broker-jackson-deal-article-1.1718455

[JimLeavy59]

What a fucking joke of a franchise. The Cleveland Browns of the NBA.

[jeffx]

Eventually this will blow up. Donnie Walsh was promised autonomy and look what happened. Dolan stuck his nose in the Anthony negotiations, blew up Walsh's long term plan and forced Walsh out. Why would it be any different under Jackson? Phil's working for a hotheaded, spoiled, rich man's son who thinks he knows how to run a franchise.

[IamMedellin]

So will CAA still handle GM duties or not?


Phil Jackson's Ill say whatever the fuk I want attitude plus Dolan's media policy in NYC...this will make Larry browns tenure seem civil

LMFAO, Seriously thou FUK the Knicks

[NAHSTE]

So they wanted Phil to join the front office to convince Melo to stay, but Phil's job would be a lot easier if Melo left?

Do I have this right?

[JimLeavy59]

So they wanted Phil to join the front office to convince Melo to stay, but Phil's job would be a lot easier if Melo left?

Do I have this right?

[EmpireWF]

It's official, now hopefully Jackson can rid the organization of the CAA cronies.

[jeffx]

It's official, now hopefully Jackson can rid the organization of the CAA cronies.

If Phil can break the hold CAA has on Dolan, it'll be a good thing. From everything I've read, it was CAA who convinced Dolan to trade for Bargnani. Grunwald was pushed out because he was against it. Same for Walsh and the Anthony deal.

[jeffx]

LOL@ that press conference, shutting out the Daily News reporters. Why? For telling it like it is about Dolan? Yeah, the culture has changed at MSG.

I'm taking a 'wait-and-see' approach to the Jackson hire. I don't trust Dolan at all. You are what you are.

[EmpireWF]

Even though this is sort of like battered woman syndrome with the way Dolan and his usual way of controlling the organization turns out over the past decade......I have hope that Phil Jackson is not going to put up with that shit. Plus, he's practically guaranteed to bring in Steve Kerr to coach the triangle (you figure) and whether they have Melo or not, they can start from step 1 after next season with nearly every big contract coming off the books.

Even if LeBron stays in Miami or signs elsewhere, they'll have plenty of space to acquire big talent and that shouldn't be an issue with Phil at the top.


*I fully expect that barring the unforeseen (winning? what's that like?) actually happening, at some point Jackson will get fired, perhaps before his 5-year deal is up and the team will be back at square one.

[Warner2BruceTD]

Can somebody explain how the president of the Knicks can be married to the owner of the Lakers and how that isn't considered a conflict of interests?

[jeffx]

^I don't think they're married W2B, just boyfriend/girlfriend.

[dell71]

Eventually this will blow up. Donnie Walsh was promised autonomy and look what happened. Dolan stuck his nose in the Anthony negotiations, blew up Walsh's long term plan and forced Walsh out. Why would it be any different under Jackson? Phil's working for a hotheaded, spoiled, rich man's son who thinks he knows how to run a franchise.

This...

LOL@ that press conference, shutting out the Daily News reporters. Why? For telling it like it is about Dolan? Yeah, the culture has changed at MSG.

I'm taking a 'wait-and-see' approach to the Jackson hire. I don't trust Dolan at all. You are what you are.

and this.

I have no faith whatsoever in Dolan so this whole thing feels overblown to me. I hope Phil does some good, but I can see it getting ugly quick. This, coming from a Knicks fan.

[FedEx227]

Can somebody explain how the president of the Knicks can be married to the owner of the Lakers and how that isn't considered a conflict of interests?

jeffx, they are engaged which does start the chain reaction of conflict of interest rules.

"The Knicks' hiring of Phil Jackson is subject to the league's conflict of interest rules," NBA spokesman Mike Bass told ESPN.com. "To avoid even the appearance of a conflict, we have addressed the issue with the Knicks and Lakers to ensure that the relationship between Jeanie Buss and Phil Jackson will not affect how the teams operate."

"There is an understanding all trades are approved by the NBA, and I don't anticipate any problem because I don't make the basketball decisions on behalf of the Lakers," said Buss, who has indeed previously ceded all basketball decisions to her brother Jim and team general manager Mitch Kupchak. "So I really don't see where there would be a conflict."

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/10634239/phil-jackson-jeanie-buss-relationship-addressed-nba?src=mobile

[LiquidLarry2GhostWF]

I don't see how giving the decision making to his brother-in-law could be a conflict?

/Jackson would be best off by letting Melo walk.