New York Knicks: Phil Jackson left NYK in a better place than it started
By Will Stern
For all of the negativity that surrounded his tenure as team president, Phil Jackson managed to leave the New York Knicks in a better place than it started.
Phil Jackson’s tenure with the New York Knicks began in March of 2014 amidst cautious optimism. After all, he’d won more rings than any coach in NBA history. New York collectively figured he would be better than James Dolan at running the show.
For all of the commotion, we were right.
The Bad
The ridiculous Joakim Noah signing, the alienation of Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, and this. Yet, despite the bad, we are better off now than before he came.
MVKP
Jackson’s success, and the reason it is no longer accurate to call his time as an executive a failure, is his draft record. There’s nothing more to say about Kristaps Porzingis that hasn’t been said already.
This is one of the greatest gambles by an exec in recent memory. Nobody believed in that pick at the time of the draft.
Then he started playing.
Today, Porzingis is one of the best players in the NBA—and he’s only 22! We need to go back to the Patrick Ewing draft pick to find a time when Knicks fans could be this excited about a youthful talent like this.
Not to mention: He’s a perfect archetype for today’s NBA.
The rest of the league started flirting with tall shooters; 6’10”, sometimes even 7-footers. Phil Jackson: “Hold my Beer.” 7’3”? Are you kidding? He doesn’t even need to create space on his shot; he is the space!
Frankie Smokes
This past year, the drafting of Frank Ntilikina was a controversial decision. Dennis Smith Jr. was still on the board, and Ntilikina’s stats were less than impressive from his season with Strasbourg—for those who looked at per game only.
Yet, a few weeks into his rookie year, it’s clear that Ntilikina is a sleeping giant.
Defensive superstardom is right around the corner. His tentacle-like wingspan allows him to deflect any ball within reach—and he’s already second in the NBA in deflections per 36 minutes among players with at least 100 minutes logged.
His offense looks like it will come along, and he will at least be average on that side of the floor.
Diamonds in the Rough
Jackson turned a second-round draft pick into Willy Hernangomez (All-Rookie First Team), and a gamble of a contract into Kyle O’Quinn (All-Beard First Team). They’re both cost-efficient and effective role players who have made huge impacts on the Knicks.
It really wasn’t all bad…
Obviously, Jackson’s time in New York felt like the Knicks were stumbling down a hill most of the time. But it’s disingenuous to not realize that The Zen Master left the organization in a better position than it was before.
Must Read: Who stepped up with Kristaps Porzingis absent?
And for that, we as New York Knicks fans must begrudgingly say: Thank you.