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12 hours ago
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Unlike his run as a head coach, Phil Jackson’s tenure as a top executive didn’t go well.
And it didn’t end well, either.
After winning 11 combined championships from both the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA’s most decorated mentor took over and became the team president of the New York Knicks in 2014.
But after three seasons, mediocrity wasn’t the reason why Jackson ultimately left.
In an excerpt of his book "Masters of the Game: A Conversational History of the NBA in 75 Legendary Players" which will be released Tuesday, Jackson recounted his conversation with Knicks owner James Dolan, who asked him whether the media scrutiny was too much for him.
But for Jackson, it was simply Carmelo Anthony who has been that tough one he can’t handle anymore.
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“Dolan said to me, ‘Are you going to get run out of town by the media?’ I said, ‘I know who the media is; that doesn’t affect me,’ ” Jackson said. “But Dolan felt it was too much. He said, ‘I don’t want you to go through it. I know what it’s like to deal with these people.’ I said, ‘Unfortunately my relationship with Carmelo is kind of busted, and if he’s going to be here, it’s probably best that I go.’ ”
It’s been well documented that both Jackson and Anthony have butted heads since the Hall of Fame coach became the Knicks president. Both figures mainly clashed over their desired play systems. Anthony, who was acquired by New York in 2011 from the Denver Nuggets, infamously rejected Jackson’s desire of his well-known triangle offense around the Knicks.
For three years, both Jackson and Anthony couldn’t lift the Knicks towards success, failing to win more than 32 games in each of those seasons while missing the NBA Playoffs.
After Dolan and the Knicks refused to do a buyout on Anthony’s contract, Jackson ultimately parted ways with New York. Anthony followed after waiving his no-trade clause three months later which brought him to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
The departure of the two kickstarted the Knicks’ long-term rebuild as the franchise became relevant again in 2022 upon Jalen Brunson’s arrival.
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