NBA 2013-14: Challenges Phil Jackson faces as President of Basketball Operations for the Knicks
Phil Jackson
It’s been over two and a half seasons since Phil Jackson retired as the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and from the game of basketball. Currently aged 68, the Zen Master has been associated with the league in multiple roles- a player, coach and now as a member of the front office for over four decades. The 11 titles on his resume are the most championships won by any head coach in the history of the league.
Appointed as the President of Basketball Operations for the New York Knicks, Jackson returns to the franchise that drafted him as a player way back in the 1967 Draft as the 17th pick in the second round. As emotional as his return to the franchise might be, the transition from a head coach to a higher spot in the hierarchy of a franchise will make Jackson’s job much tougher than it seems in rebuilding a team, that has literally bombed given the expectations on the team at the start of this season, into a perennial contender for the Larry O’Brien trophy.
Jackson follows in the footsteps of Hall of Famers such as Pat Riley and Isiah Thomas, to take a front office job after having been on the scenes, on the court as a player and coach. Just like the latter of the two Hall of Famers mentioned wasn’t as successful as the former when it comes to making decisions from the front office, similarly it would be some time before Jackson’s name can be mentioned in the same breath as Riley in terms of front office jobs.
The New York Knicks are currently in a mess and this should have been one of the last teams Jackson considered to associate with himself given the legacy and mark he has already left on the game of basketball. Anyhow to the disappointment and sadness of millions of Los Angeles Lakers fans, the word is out and official.
So what are the most pressing issues and challenges Jackson will have to pay attention to? Here’s a list:
Carmelo Anthony and his free agency
Carmelo Anthony
Knicks owner James Dolan has not shied away from shelling out the big dollars to bring high IQ basketball players to team up with the cornerstone of his franchise, Carmelo Anthony.
However given the team’s miserable performance this season, Anthony has not been satisfied, and is currently staying mum on the decision regarding his free agency this summer.
Guaranteed contracts till 2015, no draft picks till 2016 and absolutely no cap space for a max player this summer, the Knicks were literally all in for and with Anthony, but with wins hard to come by he doesn’t seem to be sharing the same sentiments.
The first and primary task would be to convince Anthony to stay put and be part of a rebuild which would be overlooked by Jackson himself. That’s the best case scenario but what if Anthony leaves for let’s say the Chicago Bulls or the Los Angeles Lakers. How do the Knicks stand then, with their limited cap space?
Should the Triangle be enforced?
Jackson has thrived with teams who have a ball dominating high scoring player on the team with Michael Jordan being one and the Black Mamba being the other and the Knicks most definitely do not lack a player with that description in Anthony. He cannot be compared to the talents of the legends mentioned above but being the reigning scoring champion in the league, it’s safe to assume he can thrive in Jackson’s triangle offense.
But can the Knicks roster as a unit thrive in the triangle? It would give each player more of a chance to contribute but trying to stamp an offensive system which might not necessarily suit the roster would be like tripping on your own leg.
An ideal solution would be to give the triangle a shot in the closing stages of this already lost season. Jackson then can not only access the missing pieces, but also see who’s most lethal and effective in the system.
There have been rumors of Steve Kerr being considered as a replacement for Head Coach Mike Woodson if the triangle is truly installed. However it is totally unfair to fire Woodson who can only take part of the blame of a miserable season.
Stick with Head Coach Mike Woodson
Does Mike Woodson deserve to be fired? The simple answer is no.
The team is battling injury, chemistry and J.R. Smith. His off court and on court antics attract attention for everything other than basketball reasons. This attention is received while the Knicks are having the worst season a roster of their potential can have.
There have occasional brilliant performances but why should performances be appreciated if they aren’t consistently helping a team cause? The team has been guilty of repeatedly making immature and childlike decisions during crucial game time scenarios such as shooting a three on an offensive board with an one point lead and 15 seconds on the clock.
Why would you shoot a jumper and allow the other team a chance for the final shot when you can run time off the clock and win the contest? Well, ask Bargnani; he has done that twice already in this season.
Hiring Steve Kerr, who is open to a coaching offer, would be very tempting but firing Woodson would not be right and unfair.
Jackson is going to have a tough task and will certainly have a busy off-season looking for missing pieces based on whether or not Anthony decides to stay. He will have many more things on his to do list to tick off, but till the end of the regular season, Jackson’s primary issue should be these.