As President of Operations for the New York Knicks, Phil Jackson provides a valuable reservoir of knowledge for his hand-selected new head coach Derek Fisher. But Jackson, who was fined by the NBA for tampering with the only recently retired Fisher, has no intention of trying to control his new charge. The 11-time champion has said that his coaching days are over largely due to health problems, but that he will be glad to share any insight that he can.
Jackson seemed intent on securing a young coach with whom he had history. After Steve Kerr turned the job down for Golden State Jackson zeroed in on his next target. But that doesn't mean he intends to be a puppet master (via Bleacher Report):
"'This is where a young man steps in and has the energy to lead the team forward,' Jackson said at Fisher's introductory press conference. 'But I'm very willing to share what I have'...
"As a longtime Jackson associate put it, Jackson 'will be involved' as a mentor and sounding board, but 'not in any way that would subvert the coach.'"
One thing they agree on is that Carmelo Anthony needs to stay with the Knicks. The organization is waiting to see whether he will opt for free agency in July, but Jackson and Fisher want to build a team around him (via ESPN):
"We obviously firmly believe that here is that place for Carmelo. And we are going to do our best, not to convince him or change his mind from maybe a decision he's already made, but just help give him some confidence that with the personalities involved and our commitment to working hard to achieve a certain level of success, that this is the place where he can have what it is he wants."
So with a young, energetic coach in place and a winning legacy in Jackson, expectations are high for the Knicks to compete in the coming years. Someone told them about Spike Lee, right?
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