Phil Jackson has been offered a front-office position with the Knicks and is expected to give the club a decision sometime next week, the Daily News has learned.
According to an NBA source, Garden chairman James Dolan has met with Jackson about a potential return to the franchise with which he won the Knicks’ only two championships as a player. Jackson also won 11 titles as a head coach with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers but apparently has no interest in coaching the Knicks.
ESPN reported that president and GM Steve Mills had offered the head coaching position to Jackson but he had declined. Jackson has on numerous occasions ruled out returning to the bench. However, the 68-year-old Hall of Fame coach has said publicly that he would like to move into a front office and run a team.
Jackson was set to join Seattle’s front office last offseason until the Sacramento Kings reached a deal to stay in northern California. He most recently served as a consultant for the Detroit Pistons, who fired coach Maurice Cheeks last month after just 50 games.
Dolan’s play to land Jackson makes sense on several levels, especially with the Knicks’ front office in complete chaos and with the team just 23-40 even after Friday night’s rout of Utah. Jackson provides instant credibility, and the allure of leading the franchise to its first championship since his mentor Red Holzman last did so in 1973 is something that appeals to him.
It is unclear what position the Knicks offered, but the NBA source said that it would be “more than just a consulting job.” If Jackson is put in charge of the front office, it would represent the first time he has been in that position in his illustrious career. Moreover, it remains to be seen if Jackson, who has had health problems in the past, would have the energy and appetite to want to scout.
The other major stumbling block would be Jackson’s ability to work with Dolan, who has a history of being a meddling owner. Jackson would be handsomely compensated and will likely be promised full autonomy. Of course, the same was true of Donnie Walsh, an executive with more experience who was eventually forced out by Dolan after the MSG chairman hijacked the Carmelo Anthony negotiations from him.
Mike Woodson responded to questions about the Knicks reaching out to Jackson before Friday’s game by refusing to address the issue. Bringing Jackson on board would almost certainly spell the end of Woodson’s tenure in New York. But on Friday, Woodson again affirmed his position as coach of the Knicks.
“I really don’t have an opinion on it,” he said, a somewhat bemused look on his face. I really don’t. I mean, again, as I sit here today, I’m the coach of the New York Knicks. And I’m not going to entertain anything about Phil. I have a great deal of respect for Phil but I’m not going to entertain anything about Phil Jackson. My job is to try to get this team to play at a high level and we have a big game tonight against Utah and we have to get ready to play.”
Jackson’s potential hiring could affect Anthony’s future. Dolan wants to re-sign Anthony, who can become a free agent on July 1, but Jackson may have other plans. Two years ago, he called the Knicks’ roster “clumsy” and specifically singled out Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire.
Anthony admitted he’s aware of the rumors concerning Jackson but said he didn’t have any inside knowledge of the meeting.
“Of course you hear it,” Anthony said following the Knicks’ 108-81 win over Utah.
“I heard it when I came in today. In the training room, that’s all that’s on ESPN so you see the stuff. But as far as me, personally I haven’t heard anything of that nature. So it’s hard for me to speak on something I don’t know about.”
As for the Knicks, they are desperate to make a face-saving move in what has been a disappointing season. Dolan was expecting a title run this year but instead may have to settle for missing the playoffs and not having a first-round pick to show for it.
The Knicks have hired other Hall of Fame coaches before under Dolan — Lenny Wilkens and Larry Brown — and they were both unceremoniously dismissed. Walsh brought respectability and class to the franchise, but Dolan eventually moved him out while the Knicks leaked stories that Walsh was leaving for health reasons. Walsh has since returned to Indiana as general manager and runs the Pacers’ day-to-day operations under Larry Bird.
If Jackson joins the Knicks, he has a chance to cement his legacy if he can return to them to a championship level. Or he could be the next in a long line of potential saviors who left abruptly because they struggled to adjust to Dolan’s rules and his hands-on approach.
Jackson returned to New York last year when the Knicks celebrated the 40th anniversary of their 1973 championship team. He received a loud ovation during introductions.
— With Mitch Abramson