In Phil We Trust?

It’s now been almost two full seasons with Phil Jackson at the head of the Knicks, and what do they have to show for it? Two losing seasons, (the first one being the worst record in team history), an aging roster, a disgruntled “superstar,” and a terrible decision to hire a rookie coach, only to replace him midway through his second season with a guy who is not much better. 

You can make a strong argument that the Knicks are worse off now, than they were when Phil took over. The only bright spot in this situation is the rookie phenom Kristaps Porzingis. There’s not much else on the roster that looks to have any potential going forward, save for maybe Jerian Grant.

The Knicks have ton of questions going into this upcoming offseason. They’ll have some money to spend in free agency, but as shown in the last few years, what big names are going to want to come here? What do they do with Carmelo Anthony? There were rumors of a trade that involved Melo right before the trade deadline. Do you attempt to trade your “best” player for draft picks and young players, and start building the future around Porzingis? These are questions that will indeed need to be answered. But the biggest question of all, and the one that needs to be answered before any of these other moves will be made, is what to do with Phil Jackson?

Phil Jackson is a proven coach, in the discussion for being the greatest of all time, there’s no denying that. But his track record as an executive has not been so impressive. The Knicks record so far in his two years at the helm is: 48 wins and 112 losses.

Phil has a great basketball mind, as you can see from his multiple coaching championships with the Bulls in the mid 90’s and the Lakers in the early 2000’s. But is he too brilliant for him to be able to teach his principles and coaches to other coaches? They say that great players don’t make for great coaches, mainly because for most great players, the game came so easy to them. It can be a frustrating process to try and teach something to someone that comes as second nature to you. Just try teaching one of your older relatives about how to use a computer or use a smartphone, and you’ll understand how it feels. Is it difficult for Phil to pass on his triangle offense and coaching philosophies to his disciples?

Phil’s coaching tree has not been successful in the NBA (besides Steve Kerr, but look at the roster he has in Golden State). The likes of Frank Hamblen, Bill Cartwright, Jim Cleamons, Brian Shaw, Kurt Rambis, and Derek Fisher have failed miserably in their attempts at coaching.

These coaches are trying to use the same principles and philosophy that Phil Jackson used during his coaching career, but can’t do so with the same success. Kurt Rambis, the current coach in New York, is not the future of the Knicks. There have been rumors that Phil might step in and split time with Rambis, and coach the team during home games next season. To have two separate coaches running a team at the same time sounds like a mess.

So what are the options?

1. Hire Luke Walton in the offseason. Luke is  from the Phil tree, but he has some recent coaching experience with the Golden State Warriors (unlike Derek Fisher who came straight from the hardwood to the bench). Luke is pretty unproven as a head coach, but did fill in for Steve Kerr earlier this season and coached the Warriors to a 39-4 record. He has the potential to be a good head coach in this league. We already know where Rambis’ ceiling is, and it doesn’t seem to be that high. The sky could be the limit for Walton if they could surround Porzingis with some young talent. There’s no guarantee that he would come here, or even be interested in a head coaching position. He’s currently apart of one of, if not the greatest teams in NBA history, and I’m sure there will be many suitors for his services come this offseason. 
2. Phil Jackson comes down from the front office and coaches the team full time. No part time business, come down and clean up the mess that is this franchise. Phil is a great coach, and an even better motivator. If there is anyone that can get the most out of his roster, it is Phil. He had some health issues that made him step down from the Lakers coaching position, and eventually brought him to the front office of the Knicks. If he is healthy enough to commit to the team full time as a coach, then he should.
3. Scrap the whole Phil experiment, let him go his own way, and bring in a guy like Tom Thibodeau as the head coach. Phil and Tom have two completely philosophies, and would never be able to work together. Tom is not currently coaching, and has said publicly that he would be interested in coaching the Knicks.   There will be other coaches available, but Thibodeau might be the best of the bunch. 

It will certainly be a pivotal offseason for the Knicks, as they seem to be trending downward. It will be interesting how it plays out, and definitely something that Knicks fans will be keeping an eye on. My prediction: the Knicks swing and miss on Walton, and end up giving Rambis a full training camp and offseason to see what he can do next year. Unfortunately this is the last thing I want to happen, but then again it’s the Knicks, so I am sure they will disappoint me yet again.