The New York Knicks franchise has been going through its fair share of struggles as of late and at the center of it is team president Phil Jackson.
Jackson has come under scrutiny for the way he has spoken about Carmelo Anthony in public, hurting the trade value of someone he openly wants to move. Prized draft pick Kristaps Porzingis has grown frustrated and Jackson has even spoken about potentially trading him. Now, Knicks owner James Dolan may be at his end.
According to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the Knicks and Phil Jackson will be parting ways:
Knicks and President Phil Jackson are expected to announce that they're parting ways early Wednesday morning, sources told ESPN.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) June 28, 2017
When he was hired, Jackson offered hope to the struggling franchise, but things have continued to go downhill in New York. The one move Jackson has gotten praise for was his decision to draft Porzingis who looks to be the future of the franchise.
Porzingis grew so frustrated with things that he skipped out on his exit meeting at the end of the year. This prompted Jackson to reportedly shop his prized young talent earlier this offseason. By all accounts Jackson has potentially alienated the two best players on the roster.
The timing on this move isn’t ideal as free agency is set to begin in just days and now the Knicks are without a team president. Many players are hesitant to join teams when their front office is in flux as new people often will come in and look to put their own imprint on the team, which usually means players could be moved.
Of course if things just weren’t meant to work out than it is best to move on immediately and look to fix the future. That looks to be what Dolan is doing.
