Phil Jackson on his way out of New York?

Sources: Knicks owner debating whether to fire Phil Jackson

New York Knicks owner James Dolan is weighing the future of embattled president of basketball operations Phil Jackson, including the possibility of firing him, league sources told The Vertical.

No final decision had been made on Jackson’s future late Tuesday night, but Dolan is harboring uncertainties about how much longer to commit to Jackson as the organization’s top basketball decision-maker, league sources told The Vertical.

Resolution on Jackson’s future could come as soon as Wednesday, league sources told The Vertical.

Dolan has become increasingly concerned about Jackson’s fitness for the job and the long-term prospects of success for the franchise, especially in the aftermath of Jackson entertaining trades for Kristaps Porzingis, the franchise’s 21-year-old burgeoning star, league sources told The Vertical.

Or possibly already a done deal:

Knicks and President Phil Jackson are expected to announce that they're parting ways early Wednesday morning, sources told ESPN.

Makes me wonder what his career would've been like had he been like most coaches not blessed with rosters containing the best of all time.

I hope he moves back to LA and gets back with Jeanie Buss

Jeffx likes this.

Really showcases just how inept the Knicks franchise are. Where is the logic in firing him after the draft? He just picked a guy who fits his ideal team concept. If they really wanted to go another direction why not fire him before the draft, get someone else, and then draft accordingly? Obviously he hasn't done a good job so far outside of drafting Porzingis, but firing him now is moronic.

It's official:

http://www.nba.com/knicks/philjacksonknicks

Really showcases just how inept the Knicks franchise are. Where is the logic in firing him after the draft? He just picked a guy who fits his ideal team concept. If they really wanted to go another direction why not fire him before the draft, get someone else, and then draft accordingly? Obviously he hasn't done a good job so far outside of drafting Porzingis, but firing him now is moronic.

They didn't fire him, they got him to agree to a buyout when it became clear he was going to continue to mess with the franchise in his standard Phil Power Play methods. Firing him would have meant paying him the full amount. It's not like he alone made the draft pick.

Conversations about what was best for the team's future between Jackson and Dolan accelerated this week when the franchise decided it would not buy out embattled forward Carmelo Anthony, sources said.

Jackson, 71, had made it well known that he felt it was best for Anthony and the organization to part ways, both publicly and privately, but Anthony refused to waive his no-trade clause, and the Knicks were determined not to accommodate any request for a buyout. Anthony has two years worth more than $54 million remaining on his deal.

With no end to the stalemate in sight, and free agency beginning on Saturday, Jackson's discussions with Dolan accelerated late Tuesday night and the decision was made to part ways. Some close to Dolan had been pushing him to consider firing Jackson for much of the season, sources told ESPN's Ian Begley.

It had become clear, sources said, that Jackson had no plans to remain beyond the two years left on the five-year contract he initially signed in 2014 that paid him $12 million a year. So with no clear path forward from the toxic situation with Anthony, a constant public relations war over Jackson's preferred triangle offense, and new concerns about the organization's relationship with Latvian phenom and 2015 No. 4 overall pick Kristaps Porzingis, sources said it was clear things had reached a breaking point by the eve of free agency.

Several players and members of the coaching staff had expressed frustration over Jackson's insistence that the club run more of the triangle offense midway through last season, sources told Begley.

During a February radio interview, Dolan said he planned to honor his five-year contract with Jackson "all the way to the end." In April, sources familiar with the situation told ESPN that the Knicks and Jackson quietly picked up their option on the remaining two years of his contract.

Sources told ESPN that Jackson had been upset with Porzingis' actions and was trying to teach him a lesson in professionalism this summer.

Sure, the Carmelo problems were the tip of the iceberg, but seems like he's always in the middle of all the drama

The Melo stuff is his doing too, Melo doesn't want to leave and said that years ago when Phil was trying to trade him from day one. It's been the same shit he was now trying to pull with KP.

And funny enough that he also pulled with Derek Fisher who he gave a five year contract to.

Can't tell you how happy this makes me, Phil has being terrible NY with most things he has done but I think falling a sleep more than once during pre draft workouts is the final straw.

Now can we please move on from the f~ing triangle.

The only thing that could make this bad news is if Dolan hires Isiah Thomas again.

Jeffx likes this.

Unfortunately, this was done AFTER the draft. So now we have a rookie who fits a system that the team won't run......perfect. Only the Knicks can f--- up even when they do the right thing.

Not necessarily,the kid is a pass first point guard who prides himself on defence and according to draft express his pick and roll game is good so in coach is aloud to run his own offence like he did with the suns then Frank might be that Rubio type point guard the knicks needed

Is hornacek still the coach? I don't even know anymore

Not necessarily,the kid is a pass first point guard who prides himself on defence and according to draft express his pick and roll game is good so in coach is aloud to run his own offence like he did with the suns then Frank might be that Rubio type point guard the knicks needed

What do you think about Dennis smith JR? That guy had a lot hype heading into the draft

I was hoping the bulls would set the city on fire by drafting yet another pg (smith jr)

Phil's butt-boy Charley Rosen at it again;

https://www.fanragsports.com/nba/knicks ... re-knicks/

They didn't fire him, they got him to agree to a buyout

That's little more than a technical difference

If the reason why they fired him was mainly due to how he handled Porzingis....they should've done it before the draft so Hornacek could get a guy that fits his ideal system now that he's freed from his shackles. But no, they are the Knicks; and that's what I was getting at.

Jeffx likes this.

Unfortunately, this was done AFTER the draft. So now we have a rookie who fits a system that the team won't run......perfect. Only the Knicks can f--- up even when they do the right thing.

My point exactly.

It seems that the Draft was the final straw, the tipping point. If so, it would be an odd decision to keep him around much longer, especially when he's indicated that he won't stick around past the length of his current contract. With that in mind, might as well cut their losses now, and attempt to right their course with a new plan and new leadership.

Of course, even if it was the final straw, the load was obviously getting heavy leading up to the Draft. In that respect, it's fair to wonder why there wasn't any intervention sooner, why they waited for one final mistake to pull the trigger. Maybe they felt he was owed one last chance; maybe they didn't think he'd actually pick who he did. It'll be interesting to see if we get more of the story in that regard.

Is hornacek still the coach? I don't even know anymore

He is, though for all of last season you would think Phil Jackson was the way he forced the triangle on the team.

Not necessarily,the kid is a pass first point guard who prides himself on defence and according to draft express his pick and roll game is good so in coach is aloud to run his own offence like he did with the suns then Frank might be that Rubio type point guard the knicks needed

What do you think about Dennis smith JR? That guy had a lot hype heading into the draft

I was hoping the bulls would set the city on fire by drafting yet another pg (smith jr)

I would of drafted him personally I think he has Westbrook potential, Jackson was drafting for the triangle that was clear as he drafted need over BPA.

Maybe merge this now into the knicks thread?

I would've went with smith jr too but I am rooting for Frenchman