NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 12: Basketball coach Phil Jackson speak on stage at Phil Jackson in Conversation with Ben McGrath at the MasterCard stage at SVA Theatre during The New Yorker Festival 2014 on October 12, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for The New Yorker Festival)
Phil Jackson, Knicks Part Aways: NBA Twitter Reactions
The New York Knicks announced Wednesday morning that the team and president Phil Jackson have mutually agreed to separate after three years.
Phil Jackson Had Been The Knicks President For Three Years
Jackson was notified of the team’s decision on Tuesday.
“After careful thought and consideration, we mutually agreed that the Knicks will be going in a different direction,” said Knicks owner and executive chairman JamesDolan. “Phil Jackson is one of the most celebrated and successful individuals in the history of the NBA. His legacy in the game of basketball is unmatched. We wish him the best and thank him for his service to the Knicks as both a player and an executive.”
The Knicks have struggled under Jackson’s leadership, posting an 80-66 combined record in the last three seasons for one of the worst in the NBA. The team did not make the playoffs in any of those three years. For this reason, the general consensus among both Knicks fans and NBA pundits on Twitter early Wednesday seemed to be that feelings of elation were appropriate.
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Here are the hilarious reactions of rejoicing Knicks fans and others from the basketball world:
A post shared by Michael Rapaport (@michaelrapaport) on
Jackson previously won 11 league championships as a coach for the Chicago Bulls (1987-1998) and Los Angeles Lakers (1999-2004, 2005-2011). The 71-year-old executive had two years and $24 million left on his contract with the Knicks, for whom he played as a power forward from 1967 to 1978.
“The New York Knicks will always hold a special place in my heart,” Jackson said. “This team and this town launched my NBA career. I will forever be indebted to them. I am grateful to Mr. Dolan for giving me the opportunity to return here.”
“I had hoped, of course, to bring another NBA championship to the Garden,” he continued. “As someone who treasures winning, I am deeply disappointed that we weren’t able to do that. New York fans deserve nothing less. I wish them and the Knicks organization all the best – today and always.”
The Knicks last won an NBA championship in 1973, their second. New York’s first came in 1970.
After thanking Jackson for his contribution to the team, Dolan added in his statement that general manager Steve Mills would become in charge of the team’s day-to-day operations “over the short term,” and that veteran sports executive Tim Leiweke — who is the CEO of Oak View Group and former president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) and Anschultz Entertainment Group — would serve as an interim adviser to Mills to “help develop a go-forward plan.”
During a February radio interview, Dolan said he planned to honor his five-year contract with Jackson “all the way to the end.” Two months later, sources with knowledge of the situation told ESPN that the Knicks and Jackson discretely picked up their option on the final two years of his contract.
The decision to part ways from Jackson — who replaced Mike Woodson as the Knicks’ president in March 2014 and signed a five-year, $60 million contract — comes just days after the team decided it would not buy out veteran star Carmelo Anthony, who has two years and $54 million remaining on his deal, which he signed in 2014. Jackson recently said at a press conference that he believed Anthony would be “better off somewhere else.”
Anthony also recently went through marital problems, which grew more severe following allegations of the Knicks star cheating on his longtime wife LaLa with a stripper and getting the dancer pregnant. However, LaLa said in an interview on Wendy Williams’ that she is not ready for a divorce. show Tuesday
The Knicks have also been rumored to trade 21-year-old Latvian power forward Kristaps Porzingis, the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft who will be entering his third season with the team this year. New York selected French guard Frank Ntilikina with the eighth overall pick in Thursday’s draft.
Shortly after the news of Jackson’s departure broke, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo’s The Vertical reported that Dolan was eyeing Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri as a potential replacement. However, the Raptors said in a press release on their website that “Masai Ujiri will continue to oversee basketball operations as president of the club,” and also announced that several of their front office executives would be receiving promotions.
Former NBA star Derek Fisher served as the the Knicks’ head coach for less than two seasons before Jackson fired him last year and hired Jeff Hornacek, who has two years left on his contract.
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 12: Basketball coach Phil Jackson speak on stage at Phil Jackson in Conversation with Ben McGrath at the MasterCard stage at SVA Theatre during The New Yorker Festival 2014 on October 12, 2014 in New York City. (Photo by Brad Barket/Getty Images for The New Yorker Festival)
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