Phil Jackson may no longer be employed by the New York Knicks, but he still appears to be waging a proxy war of sorts against the team.
Over the weekend, former Knicks scout and executive Clarence Gaines Jr tweeted a criticism of guard Mario Hezonja, saying that the 23-year-old was a “huge liability” on defense. In response, Hezonja tweeted back at Gaines with a laughing-face emoji. Ian Begley of ESPN shared a screenshot of the interaction while also noting that Gaines was close with Jackson.
Mario Hezonja uses an emoji to respond to ex-Knicks exec/scout Clarence Gaines Jr.’s analysis of NYK-BOS, in which Gaines Jr. calls Hezonja a ‘huge liability’ on defense. Gaines Jr. was close with ex-Knicks president Phil Jackson. pic.twitter.com/wBWEcxs5tc
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) October 21, 2018
Jackson was president of the Knicks for three years from 2014 until his firing in 2017. Gaines, meanwhile, was also hired in 2014 and served as a front office advisor involved in talent evaluation and player personnel decisions. He was also let go by the team upon the expiration of his contract this summer. Just days later, the Knicks signed Hezonja to a one-year deal as a free agent.
The Twitter exchange is reminiscent of last year when criticism of a Knicks player by a Jackson friend led to some major drama. Even with Jackson now out of a job, it seems that he is still finding ways to haunt the organization.
