The Knicks and President Phil Jackson "quietly picked up their option on the remaining two years of his contract this spring," according to sources cited by Begley & Shelburne of ESPN.com. Jackson and the team "each had an option to walk away from each other at the end of this season." It was "built into the contract after Year 3 because Jackson had no interest in working through a lockout." The NBA and its players' union "made sure to avoid that this fall" when they agreed to a new CBA. There was "some speculation that either Jackson or the Knicks would want to end the relationship as the option trigger approached." But sources said that the final two years of Jackson's contract "were picked up 'a while ago'" (ESPN.com, 4/13).
THE SILENT TREATMENT: In N.Y., Stefan Bondy writes the number of questions Jackson will field from the media on this "disastrous season -- and the uncertain future -- will remain at zero." The Knicks "aren’t making anybody available to the media following the season." It is a "rare move, if not unprecedented, since it’s customary for teams of all sports to have their players and staff hold interviews after cleaning out lockers." Jackson, who "pushed for transparency when he took the job, hasn’t spoken to the New York media since September while declining multiple requests." He had previously "spoken to the media during and after disappointing campaigns." His public messages have been "limited to a couple of handpicked interviews and cryptic tweets" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/13). In N.Y., Mike Vaccaro writes under the header, "It Took 3 Years For Phil Jackson To Run The Knicks Into The Ground." Jackson has "led them to that awful purgatory of the NBA, where his own fans have spent most of the past two months actively rooting against the Knicks." This was "never his plan, no matter how he tries to spin this notion with his silence and with whatever third-party communiqués he has provided since deciding his words weren’t worthy of the filthy-fingered public who still fills his arena to watch his wretched basketball team." Jackson believes if he "acts above the fray, he floats above the fray." Vaccaro: "This is his fray. This is his mess. This is his failure" (N.Y. POST, 4/13).
