Knicks President Phil Jackson last week said he is "trying to help turn it around the best way I can," but he sees GM Steve Mills as the "future of this franchise," according to a Q&A with Scott Cacciola of the N.Y. TIMES. Jackson said, "I can see Steve having a lasting tenure here, and this is one of the things that’s good about our relationship, that we can grow from our teamwork." Excerpts of the Q&A are below.
Q: Why did [Carmelo] Anthony play in the All-Star Game when it was clear that he needed knee surgery?
Jackson: I don’t see any value at all in an All-Star Game. None. I think it was a pretty exciting game this year because of its speed. But as a coach, what’s the point? But when guys have, as part of their contract, shoe things when they make the All-Star team, we try to accommodate what will help them move forward with their lives and their careers.
Q: You came to the Knicks a little over a year ago. Knowing what you know now, would you have still taken the job?
Jackson: Without a doubt. I knew it was going to be a challenge. We just didn’t have any room to work last year. We knew that we were going to have to make big changes with the limitations that we had, being in a locked-in situation as far as the salary cap goes.
Q: Have you spoken to Isiah Thomas since he was hired to run the Liberty?
Jackson: Yeah, Isiah came in my office. I was on the phone, but I was able to shake his hand. And there have been a number of times when we’ve just bumped into each other here in the cafeteria. We talked about the playoffs, about his team.
Q: Were you consulted before Thomas was brought in?
Jackson: Jim Dolan had talked to us about it over dinner, maybe a month before it happened. We said, “Are you cognizant of the fact that this at least has the look of putting the fox in the henhouse?” Is that a good term? In reviewing the history of it, we were told what the approach was by the Garden and how it went down. Jim said, “If you have any suggestions that you want to come back with, I’m open.” And not being in that field, I didn’t have any information. It’s not where my head is at. So we’re not giving them any advice, and it’s going both ways (N.Y. TIMES, 6/20).
ACTION JACKSON: In N.Y., Frank Isola noted Jackson "hinted that he may not be around that much longer," and that Mills is "doing most of the heavy lifting anyway." It is "quite alarming that Jackson, despite his lucrative contract, isn’t as hands-on as you would expect." Isola: "What is Dolan paying Phil for again?" The "arranged and scripted interview with the only New York newspaper that Jackson has, up to this point, shown any interest in talking to," because it has allowed Jackson's "nonsense to go unchallenged" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/21).
