Knicks owner James Dolan is weighing the future of team president Phil Jackson in New York, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. According to Wojnarowski, a final decision on Jackson’s future has not been made, but Dolan is “harboring uncertainties” about the job the Hall of Fame coach is doing in the Knicks’ front office.
Jackson’s performance as the Knicks’ president of basketball operations has been increasingly questioned within the last year as he became entangled in a public feud with Carmelo Anthony. Despite the fact that the star forward holds a no-trade clause, Jackson has publicly suggested he’d like to move on from Anthony, creating an unusual standoff as the new league year approaches.
The Anthony situation – along with a series of questionable roster moves that included a four-year, $72MM+ commitment to Joakim Noah – wasn’t enough to stop Dolan from exercising his side of Jackson’s option to keep him under contract through 2018/19. However, according to Wojnarowski, the Knicks owner has become “increasingly concerned” about Jackson’s fitness for the job and for the long-term future of the franchise.
The highlight of Jackson’s tenure with the Knicks so far was his pick of Kristaps Porzingis with the fourth overall pick in the 2015 draft. However, even that success story has taken an unexpected turn in recent months.
Frustrated with the Knicks’ dysfunction, Porzingis skipped his exit meeting with the franchise at season’s end, and Jackson responded by making the big man available in trade talks leading up to the draft. While Porzingis remains a Knick, Jackson’s willingness to seriously entertain trade possibilities appears to have been a red flag for Dolan.
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Knicks sources expect clarity on Jackson’s future to come in some form on Wednesday morning. If the team does decide to shake up its front office, the timing will be less than ideal — free agency officially gets underway in less than 72 hours.
Not to say this isn’t a great step forward but immediately after this, James Dolan should weigh James Dolan’s future with the Knicks
Lmao very true
If they want to win they need to move on from Phil.
He drafted well but the Knicks should bring in David Griffin.
Are you sure you still picked the right player?? You picked a guy who wanted to play in the triangle and it probably won’t be the triangle next season
He drafted a guy that can’t shoot and isn’t NBA ready
the day he gets fired knicks fans should throw a parade. He is a mess
What a fool, Dolan.
DONT LISTEN TO THE MEDIA, FOOL
Let Phil finish his 5 year deal, LIKE YOU SAID HE WOULD. Porzingis alone, should give him an extra 2 year leash,. (Talking about Drafting him)
And I didn’t even say anything about Willy: made 2017 All-Rookie First team. Nice find at 35 Phil!
Yeah well said. Let’s not confuse being unpopular with being incompetent. And, we can all agree, that getting rid of Anthony at this point makes a whole bunch of sense.
Dude he got rid of JR for Dalembert, he has done alot of moves that I used to just say is this guy for real? Let Hornacek run his stuff and watch the Knicks win 40 games next season.
He sucks at trading. That we can agree on. He basically traded Shumpert (An asset still playing on his rookie deal at the time) to ‘dump’ JR Lol. But STILL better then Isiah, because he doesn’t trade first round draft picks. You’ll have to pry them from his cold lifeless fingers (much like his beloved Triangle) Another win in my book.
With Phil, we keep our first round pick. There will always be hope. That’s how we got Porzingis.
That’s why as a Knick fan, at the end of the day I take comfort knowing Phil’s not Billy King /Isiah stupid. That alone, (along with drafting KP, goes hand-in-hand) should be enough to let Phil finish his contract
Fools like SAS who constantly calling for Phil to get fired will realize how good Phil was when our top five pick in a later draft is given away for nothing. It’s the worst feeling in the world.
That doesn’t happen with Phil. PHIL DOESN’T MORTGAGE OUR FUTURE.
Let him finish out his deal, and evaluate his performance over the entire five year span
He’s not the best GM, and probably bottom half but has done enough to deserve finishing his deal
Being better than someone terrible and not trading your first round pick aren’t reasons to keep around an otherwise terrible president
Agree to disagree. Any President or GM who refuses to trade first round picks year after year is worth keeping around, Even with Noah’s contract.
“He sucks at trading”
Well? trades are monumentally important and can a single bad one can set a franchise back 5 years. Ask Chicago. If you agree he’s bad at that he needs to go. That’s like a pilot being bad at landing. Kind of important.
There’s a lot of dislike out there purely for his inability to be a competent executive. Many questionable roster moves, destroying any trade value Melo had with very public efforts – one of many issues that have led to key players distancing themselves from him and the Organisation, plus his insistence on forcing an outdated game plan on the coaches, while constructing a roster incapable of carrying out the game plan effectively, and despite not being a coach anymore. But other these things, he’s been fine.
This guy understands.
Drafting a top 5 prospect at the 4th pick is his only real accomplishment. Not sure how much skill you can infer from that. Then he managed to ruin the relationship anyways.
Also I don’t understand all the Melo hate from Knicks fans who seem to think that cutting their best player for nothing will somehow fix the franchise.
the 76ers drafted Hernangomez. the Knicks acquired his rights through trade. other than him and KP, every move he made was terrible. trading Jerian Grant and Lopez for Rose (terrible move), pretty much got a basket of dirty laundry for Shump, JR and Tyson Chandler, gave Noah allllllllllll that money. but no, its the media. and lets not forget his coaching selections. COULD and SHOULD have hired Thibs, but didn’t.
the only future the Knicks have with Phil is lotterys the next 5years, disgruntled players who will leave the 1st chance they get for less money and a team President thats too busy counting his money to care about the product on the court.
Phil needs to retire. He’s cooked.
As a fan of the NBA, this is a glorious moment. It’s finally over. Phill Jackson, GTFO clown
Yes!!! There is a God in Heaven!!! Go Knicks!!!
If Knicks can get Griffin as GM they are set.
I love how Dolan owns the Knicks and the New York Rangers and somehow can consistently keep the Knicks the laughingstock of the NBA, but the Rangers are the complete opposite.
A bit behind on the news here. Jackson is out.
Wouldn’t be surprised if Griffin’s availability sped up Jackson’s departure.
Wonderful day as a Knicks fan…