New York Knicks: Where did the Phil Jackson era go wrong?

Former New York Knicks team president Phil Jackson had some ups and downs during his three-year tenure, but where did it all go wrong?

In March of 2014, the New York Knicks made a splash in the NBA world. They were bringing the Zen Master back to his original franchise, where he helped secure the organization’s only two championships.

Suddenly, it felt as if the Knicks would be back. Phil Jackson would bless New York with his presence, and the Knicks would find themselves back on top of the basketball world.

The hype surrounding Jackson’s arrival was the first mistake that was made by Knicks fans. The fact is: Jackson was inheriting a roster that already took a sharp spiral downhill with controversial players, and horrific trades made by the previous regime in charge.

So Jackson did what he could to strip down every last move and mistake made by former general managers and basketball minds that attempted to turn this franchise around. The first message was sent when he traded Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton for Jose Calderon and Samuel Dalembert.

This move was made to directly impact the Knicks’ new system that was about to be set in stone: The triangle offense. Suddenly, if you didn’t fit or believe in the triangle offense, you would be gone.

From Mike Woodson to Iman Shumpert, Jackson did what he could to establish a new culture.

The media took the triangle offense the wrong way. Although the Zen Master was a bit stubborn when insisting on running his prized system, all the triangle offense was, was an attempt to establish a true culture in New York.

Jackson jettisoned every last player from previous Knick teams, except just one: Carmelo Anthony.

I don’t think Jacksno understood the power that Anthony possessed when he re-signed him. The owner of the organization is infatuated with him, as are most players around the Association.

That’s exactly where it went wrong.

Jackson picking a war withAnthony—although the media blew it out of proportion—was the worst thing Jackson could have done. Once he let it be known that ‘Melo wouldn’t be a fit in what he was trying to establish, the wheels fell off.

Suddenly, nobody believed in the triangle offense—due in large part to the fact that ‘Melo didn’t. In fact, Kristaps Porzingis spoke about how he likes the triangle offense, but Anthony wasn’t having any of it.

He reportedly blasted Porzingis for praising the offense that he himself despised.

It isn’t that Jackson failed to establish the message that he was trying to get across to his team; it’s that his lead messenger was not buying into what he was selling, and that’s mostly because Jackson made it known that ANthony is the polar opposite of the ideal triangle player.

Porzingis is perhaps the Knicks’ biggest and brightest hope since Patrick Ewing came along, and we have him thanks to Jackson. God forbid Frank Ntilikina turns out to be a star, Knick fans everywhere should be thanking Phil for what he did here.

The bottom line is the Knicks are in a better position for their future now than they were in 2014 when they hired Jackson. The Knicks were giving away first round picks like candy on Halloween—until Jackson came here and immediately said that New York would keep every first-round pick.

Thanks to him, Porzingis isn’t playing for someone like the Phoenix Suns, because I’m sure that pick would have been traded if Jackson wasn’t there

Granted, he attempted to deal Porzingis, which just seemed like a big lesson that he was trying to get across as a penalty for missing the exit meeting.

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There’s no denying that Phil Jackson was a disappointment as team president, but ask yourself: Are the New York Knicks better off now than they were three years ago?

The answer is a resounding yes.