Commentary: Phil Jackson Isnt a Genius With Knicks Yet

Posted: February 21, 2015 at 1:49 pm


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For Knicks fans out there, Im not telling you anything you didnt already know, OK? Your season is over, having ended long before Carmelo Anthony told the team he was having surgery on his left knee.

That news finished Anthonys season, punctuating what has been a disaster of a season for a fan base thats as unforgiving as the Arctic freeze that paralyzed the Midwest the other day.

Whether Anthony finished the season on the court didnt matter, because the Knicks that Phil Jackson, the rookie NBA executive, had cobbled together were a wreck from the day he took over the franchise.

What did people expect?

To bank a season on a man with no experience is to risk it coming up bankrupt, which it has for the Knicks.

But Ive always wondered why Jackson gets his genius label. I wonder because hes led teams that would have been a success with him or without. Oh, I can see someone else not winning as many championships as Jackson did, but its hard to imagine any coach coming up with none as he looks down his bench and sees men like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille ONeal at his disposal.

In sports, people like Jackson tend to bring an arrogance with them wherever they go. Their success often makes them think they are smarter than everyone else, and they refuse to see their own flaws. They think they can will things to happen even in the face of challenges too big for them to handle.

For Jackson, the great Zen Master, the Knicks were that challenge. I suspect he thought he could ride into Madison Square Garden, roll out the basketballs and turn the franchise into a title contender overnight. But men whove never built a thing in their lives are often clueless on how to do so.

Ive seen that in the brilliant Jordan. His failures at building an NBA contender rival his failures as a baseball player.

Perhaps I do Jackson an injustice to compare his mistakes in the front office to Jordans. Yet he came to the Knicks with the greatest of expectations and his successes at building the team have run the gamut from A to B.

See the article here:
Commentary: Phil Jackson Isnt a Genius With Knicks Yet

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Written by simmons |

February 21st, 2015 at 1:49 pm

Posted in Zen




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