Now that the disaster that was the Phil Jackson era with the New York Knicks has come to a close, we are sure to hear many stories about all the things the 11-time NBA champion did wrong. Apparently one of them was showing off footage from his legendary Chicago Bulls teams.
In his in-depth look at Jackson’s disappointing three years with the Knicks, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News shared a story about the time Jackson “confused” a free agent with his inability to get a video to play and the content of the video itself.
Jackson even used the triangle to recruit free agents. When Jackson sat down with a free agent last July the meeting got off to an awkward start when Jackson couldn’t get his computer to work. General Manager Steve Mills had to step in to start the video of how Jackson envisioned the Knicks and the unnamed free agent would play.
That video? Footage of the ’90s Chicago Bulls. The free agent in question was confused. He couldn’t figure out if Jeff Hornacek or Jackson was the coach. Either way, the player signed elsewhere.
That was a microcosm for one of Jackson’s biggest issues with the Knicks. He hardly ever met with the media and wanted to be more like the Wizard of Oz than the face of the franchise, but he still wanted the team to use his offensive system and coaching philosophies. That obviously put Hornacek in a difficult position.
While Jackson’s alleged free agent meeting mishap was nothing compared to what supposedly happened earlier this offseason in a pre-draft workout, we get the picture. No one can take away what Jackson accomplished as a player and coach. It simply doesn’t seem like he has what it takes to run a basketball operations department.
