Phil Jackson "was the main attraction" during the Knicks' press conference yesterday introducing him as the team's new President, but the "star of the show turned out to be the team's owner, James Dolan," according to Chris Herring of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. Dolan spoke with "surprising candor" about how he "was 'willingly and gratefully' ceding control of the team to Jackson." He later in the day during a radio interview said that he would "give Jackson the final say on all basketball decisions, ranging from the team's close and controversial relationship with the Creative Artists Agency to potentially letting free-agent-to-be Carmelo Anthony leave this summer." Herring notes Jackson is the "third different person to oversee the team's basketball operations since last September," when Steve Mills joined the franchise as President & GM. Jackson, "undoubtedly aware of that, said he told Dolan he'd only agree to take the job if he had the owner's assurance that he would have full control of the basketball side and potential culture change" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/19). Dolan said the hiring of Jackson "really is going to free me up even more, and I'm planning on spending more time on Madison Square Garden's growth initiatives." Dolan: "That's where appropriately I should be spending my time, on the growth of the company and having great basketball guys and great hockey guys from those teams report up to me" ("The Michael Kay Show," ESPN Radio 98.7 N.Y., 3/18). Dolan: "This is a much more appropriate position for me." He added of Jackson and Mills, "They're going to come in, and they're going to tell me what they want to do. They're going to tell me how much it costs, and I'm going to say yes" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/19).
DOLAN GETS IT RIGHT: In N.Y., George Willis writes fans can "only take Dolan at his word" that Jackson will have control of the team, though "history says things might change." Former Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh "thought he had full control until Dolan stepped in to push the trade for Carmelo Anthony, and Mills thought he’d have a voice before being hushed by the secrecy of the Jackson negotiations." But maybe Dolan "has learned something over the near two decades of highs and mostly lows." Maybe "more than anything, he respects Jackson and his 13 championship rings" (N.Y. POST, 3/19). ESPN N.Y.'s Ian Begley wrote, "This will be worth watching. It all sounded good ... but only time will tell if Dolan is truly willing to cede power." Dolan "promised something similar" to Walsh, but that "didn't work out so well" (ESPNNY.com, 3/18). In N.Y., Juliet Macur writes Dolan with his "poor decision-making" has "driven his once-proud franchise into a brick wall again and again." He "must know -- or should know -- that his mismanagement has been considered a betrayal of a great public trust for all of those fans who have loved the Knicks through those years." Macur: "But is this all a tease? A cruel ruse to sell expensive tickets to watch Dolan’s subpar product?" The only way "forward for Knicks fans is to believe that Dolan is telling the truth." They must "trust his word, no matter how hard that seems" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/19). Also in N.Y., Mike Lupica writes, "The way to bet is that this will end badly." For now, Jackson makes most Knicks fans "feel better about their team and its prospects than they have in a long time." Once it became clear that Jackson "was interested in running the Knicks, Dolan had no choice but to throw money and power at him" and offer to "get out of the way" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/19). In New Jersey, Tara Sullivan writes under the header, "Dolan Needs To Let Phil Run The Knicks' Show" (Bergen RECORD, 3/19).
MILLS NOW A THIRD WHEEL? In N.Y., Peter Botte noted Dolan announced that Mills "will retain" his GM title "if in name only" now that Jackson is on board. Dolan said, "It was important to me that Steve and Phil would be able to work together. The three of us have spent a lot of time discussing strategy, philosophy and culture." An NBA source indicated that Jackson is "expected to bring another 'basketball man' into the front office to handle much of the day-to-day work -- making trade calls, talking to agents, etc." The source added that Mills "mostly will handle the business-related aspects of the operation" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/19). CBSSPORTS.com's Ken Berger wrote, "Mills is a smart, connected executive who means no harm. Quite the contrary; he's a company man who wants the company to succeed." But to have Dolan's "trusted lieutenant installed as the man responsible for executing Jackson's vision could be viewed cynically as a mere extension of the authority that Dolan vowed he's ceding to Jackson so willingly" (CBSSPORTS.com, 3/18). In N.Y., Harvey Araton notes Mills "was not asked a single question about the Knicks' latest front-office reinvention," and he already seemed "out on the out-of-the-way island." The realization could be that Mills -- now the "less-leveraged half of another Garden shotgun marriage -- will find himself in unenviable places that he did not envision when Dolan rehired him last fall" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/19). The RECORD's Sullivan writes Dolan reduced Mills to "third wheel afterthought" (Bergen RECORD, 3/19).
PRESIDENT OR COACH? In N.Y., Frank Isola writes Jackson was "impressive throughout his press conference." He spoke "directly to the fans and revealed that he will be open and honest with the media, which is in stark contrast to Dolan's reign" with the team (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/19). SI.com's Richard Deitsch wrote, "If you believe in the theory of winning the press conference, Jackson did that." He was "equal parts Basketball Yoda and California Zen" (SI.com, 3/18). However, the DAILY NEWS' Filip Bondy writes Jackson on his first day "was still very much a coach, not an executive." What he "didn't talk about was the league's salary cap, the phone calls he would need to make to other NBA executives, his specific scouting schedule or whether he would be the one negotiating contracts with players" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/19). The NATIONAL POST's Bruce Arthur writes Jackson "sounded like a coach, not an executive." He talked about "the triangle offense, about teaching fundamentals, about principles of play" (NATIONAL POST, 3/19).
STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM: YAHOO SPORTS' Adrian Wojnarowski wrote the Knicks need an "organizational restructuring from top to bottom" and Dolan has "never been inclined to make a run at the NBA's best builders of programs." Dolan wanted "star power, wanted a connection to the Knicks' championship roots." Jackson delivers the "Garden marquee and news conference cache" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 3/18). SPORTS ON EARTH's Shaun Powell wrote Jackson and the Knicks seem "like a match made in basketball heaven, and in some respects, it is." The Knicks "need Jackson and Jackson needs the Knicks." He wants to "restore the shine to a faltering franchise by doing it in the front office instead of the bench." But the "warm glow from Jackson's press conference will soon fade and reality will take hold" (SPORTSONEARTH.com, 3/18). The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Jason Gay writes the Knicks "will let Jackson figure out the job on the job." There are "colossal questions about the state of the franchise and the salary cap room for Jackson to work with and the new hire's appetite for the grinding minutiae of a front office job." But Jackson has "already given the Knicks something they couldn't give themselves: a break." Jackson offered himself "so sensibly and confidently it obfuscated the many absurdities of the whole maneuver" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/19). In Chicago, Rick Telander writes there is something "nearly mystical about Jackson's return to his sacred hoops." The media in N.Y. "nearly went gaga with expectation" after Dolan made the announcement. Telander: "What other non-player in basketball could have evoked such a reaction?" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 3/19).
WARM WELCOME HOME: The AP's Brian Mahoney wrote yesterday was a "celebratory homecoming to a link to the Knicks' championship past." The Knicks announced Jackson's hiring in the "lobby of Madison Square Garden with a giant 'Welcome Home Phil' sign overhead and racks of his old No. 18 jersey on sale" (AP, 3/18). In N.Y., Scott Cacciola notes a video board outside the Garden "featured highlights from Jackson's playing days on an endless loop." The musical selections "before the news conference featured 'My Hero,' by Foo Fighters; 'Glory Days,' by Bruce Springsteen; and 'Happy,' by Pharrell Williams" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/19). ESPN.com's Darren Rovell noted racks of "adidas jersey T-shirts with 'Jackson' and No. 18 could be seen through the team store's window" (ESPN.com, 3/18). On Long Island, Neil Best writes, "Even the arrival of Walsh as team president back in those pre-Melo, pre-transformed-Garden, pre-widespread-use-of-Twitter days could not match the vibe of positivity that emerged from the Zen Master's unveiling." It was an event "of the sort we specialize in around here, even when our sports teams mostly have been flops for the past year or so" (NEWSDAY, 3/19).
