Storyline: Phil Jackson hasn’t done a great job of building the Knicks. And now he hasn’t given us any reason to be optimistic about the future.
When the trade deadline was over on February 23 Carmelo Anthony was asked to give his take on the Knicks doing nothing. Like most Knicks fans, he mused if the Knicks know what they’re doing. He expected Knicks president of basketball operations, Phil Jackson, to improve the team by trading players that are going to be free agents after this season.
Courtesy: boston.com
Derrick Rose and Brandon Jennings were candidates to be traded because they’re each on a one-year deal. It’s hard to believe both are coming back after next season, so it’s surprising they weren’t traded. Value was there for trading them.
No one expected Anthony to be traded because he’s likely going to exercise his no-trade clause. But it’s inexcusable for Jackson not to find a way to get something for Rose and Jennings. A draft pick could have been had for either or both of them.
That’s why Anthony and Knicks fans are disappointed that the team stood pat this trade deadline. If anyone thinks Jackson decided to keep his players because he believes the Knicks can make a run for the playoffs, then I have a George Washington Bridge to sell.
Is it a case of Jackson being lazy? Not knowing what he’s doing? Both? The belief here is that it’s both. There’s no way an executive would not try to get a draft pick for one of those assets.
It’s troubling when Frank Isola of the New York Daily News’ mentioned that an NBA executive tried to contact Jackson but was told Jackson was unavailable. Isn’t it an executive’s job to be available? The least Jackson could do was to have Knicks GM, Steve Mills, take the call. He didn’t even do that.
Courtesy: The New Yorker
Who knows what Jackson was doing these last few weeks? Smart money says he was doing nothing. Why else would he not be able to get something decent in return for Rose and/or Jennings?
Jackson doesn’t like scouting games or doing the legwork necessary to be an executive. He comes to the Garden to watch games and that’s basically it. He’s not networking. He doesn’t even talk to his own players. Jackson is stealing $12 million a year from James Dolan.
Consider the competition. Magic Johnson was recently hired in LA to run the Lakers. In a very short time Johnson was able to broker a deal with the Rockets by trading Lou Williams for a first-round draft pick. Johnson was able to figure out how to get it done. He was determined to do something for the sake of doing something. And that’s what Jackson should be doing.
The Knicks’ executive seems inclined to make deals with people he knows best, like Bulls’ executive, John Paxson, who once played for Jackson. That’s how Rose was acquired. But it takes more than that to be successful. Knowing executives and building relationships are essential to building a championship team.
All these factors add up. They’re why Jackson did nothing by the trade deadline.
Courtesy: Daiiley Knicks
To make matters worse, the Knicks are unlikely to get anything if Rose departs as a free agent this off-season. And it’s hard to believe Rose will come back to the Knicks, given his troubles on- and off-the-court–not to mention the possibility that the Knicks will likely draft a point guard in the 2017 guard-laden draft.
It’s disheartening that Jackson didn’t seem to try. Is he earning $12 million a year to protect Dolan from being criticized by the media and fans?
The reality is that Knicks’ fans and Anthony both lost faith in Jackson a long time ago. Outside of drafting Kristaps Prozingis, Wily Hernangomez and finding Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Jackson hasn’t done a great job of building the Knicks. And now he hasn’t given us a reason to be optimistic going forward.
Jackson must be over-matched at his job. If he was so good, the Knicks would be better by now and Jeanie Buss would have waited for Jackson to opt-out of his contract and run the Lakers. Buss went with Johnson instead. And from watching what Johnson did and what Jackson didn’t, she made the right choice.
Don’t expect Jackson to apologize for being awful at his job. Don’t expect him to quit, either. But what we know for sure is that Knicks’ fans and Carmelo Anthony both deserve better than what they’re getting now.
