The New York Knicks will need to make some major changes in order to avoid falling victim to what would be the most significant change of all — losing Carmelo Anthony. Mike Woodson appears to be a dead man walking as New York continues to fall further from playoff contention. Are the Knicks hoping Phil Jackson could rescue their sinking franchise?
According to ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, Knicks general manager Steve Mills met with Jackson two weeks ago to discuss the possibility of the 68-year-old becoming the team’s next head coach. Jackson reportedly turned down the offer.
Smith’s sources added that Jackson was disappointed by the fact that Mills came out to Los Angeles to meet with him instead of Knicks owner James Dolan. Jackson won two NBA championships as a player with New York in the 1970s.
There are a number of ways you can interpret the report. One approach would be to chalk it up as total BS and move along. You could also wonder if Jackson (allegedly) agreeing to take the meeting means he is interested in working with the Knicks in some capacity. Or, skeptics like myself might argue that Knicks are frightened by reports that Anthony is being recruited to the Chicago Bulls and are trying to prove to their biggest star that they are willing to go to drastic measures to improve the team.
Jackson said over the summer that he is done coaching, but it still feels like he has unfinished business with the Lakers. There have also been reports in the past that he is looking to to return to the NBA in some sort of front office capacity, so that could be an outside possibility for both LA and New York. Only the Zen Master really knows.
