Why did Phil Jackson, Knicks part ways? Let's count the reasons
So why is Phil Jackson out in New York?
Let us count the reasons.
Jackson was fighting battles on several fronts, his popularity dwindling internally and forces from the outside coming his way as well. The Carmelo Anthony camp was dug in, the Knicks star and his wife having made it clear that they didn’t want to be shoved out of town by Jackson while Anthony's associates did all they could to help in the faceoff with the front office.
The Kristaps Porzingis contingent wasn’t any different, frustration rising from the time he skipped his exit interview in April to the recent round of trade rumors that were seen as surreal by so many. One minute Porzingis was their “unicorn,” the 21-year-old big man who could do it all while giving hope to their embattled fan base. And the next, after Jackson publicly admonished Porzingis earlier this month for skipping the exit interview while acknowledging that he was listening to trade offers, he was just another goat.
PHOTOS: Phil Jackson through the years
There were the familiar Knicks faces who will always have a voice, too, no one moreso than Isiah Thomas. In the wake of the Jackson departure, the rumblings grew quickly that the former Knicks executive who has always been close with Dolan could have a chance of returning. It would be a predictable about-face for Dolan, whose five-year, $60 million hiring of Jackson in March of 2014 was widely seen as a change from his dysfunctional ways.
Little did everyone know that the chaos would continue.
Not only did the Knicks never win more than 32 games in Jackson's tenure, but his inane insistence on being outspoken against stars like LeBron James and Anthony did immense damage to the way the franchise is viewed by the player community. And now, of course, it would surprise no one in league circles if Dolan simply went back to what he knew as a way of righting his wrong by hiring Thomas.
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Dolan’s interest in Toronto executive Masai Ujiri is real, not to mention the preferred choice of the folks inside the NBA’s league offices who want nothing more than this Knicks machine to run smoothly one day.
There’s already a built-in connection as well: Tim Leiweke, the former CEO of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment group who hired Ujiri as Toronto’s general manager in 2013, is serving as a Knicks consultant. He’s the CEO of the sports and entertainment consulting firm, the Oak View Group, as well as a partner of Irving Azoff, the longtime friend of Dolan’s who played a significant role in bringing Jackson to the Knicks.
But the Toronto timing is problematic, as Ujiri signed a five-year extension worth $32 million last September and the Raptors are already down a man in the front office after former general manager Jeff Weltman left for the Orlando Magic in late May. The Magic had to send a second-round pick to Toronto to pry Weltman away, too, meaning the price tag for Ujiri would be significantly higher. Not long after the Knicks announced they were parting ways with Jackson, Toronto announced that assistant general manager Bobby Webster would be promoted to general manager and a reminder was given that the Raptors’ priorities are their own.
If only Dolan had done this a year ago.
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick on Twitter @Sam_Amick