The Zen Era

If you told me in January that Phil Jackson would be the Knicks' President of Basketball Operations I would ask "what was in that beer". If you told me James Dolan vowed to cede power to Jackson I would tell you to check into Alcoholics Anonymous. Yet here we are in the middle of March with one of the best basketball minds in the world calling Madison Square Garden his new home. 

Everyone knows Jackson’s credentials by now (if you don’t leave ESPN on for five or ten minutes), Jackson is getting paid a king’s ransom of $60 million to leave the beautiful Cali weather and his fiancée Jeanie Buss behind. What we don’t know is how quickly Jackson can undo almost two decade’s worth of mistakes by a meddling owner who said at Jackson’s press conference “I am by no means an expert in basketball.”

We know Dolan, believe me we know. However, to Dolan’s credit, he took a huge step in the right direction yesterday. He listened to his loyal fan base and confidants and made a move that has franchise altering potential. Was this his way of stopping the embarrassment of the fan protest outside of the Garden Wednesday night? Maybe. Was this a way to say sorry for the Andrea Bargnani deal? I hope so. Is there anyone better to turn around this organization? Maybe, but they’re already employed by other teams.

Jackson brings a firm identity with him, something the Knicks have been looking for since Jeff Van Gundy fled to Houston, an identity not just for the basketball team, but for the whole organization. If this man got Kobe Bryant to share the basketball imagine what he can do to not only the neighborhood ball hogs that fill out the Knicks’ roster, but the power hungry hogs that fill out the Garden executive board.

He brings the basketball expertise that the Knicks lost when Donnie Walsh was sent packing. Naysayers say that Jackson is an exceptional coach, but unproven as a front office executive. That is why they are called naysayers. The hiring of Jackson is already the best move the team has made since they were eliminated by the Indiana Pacers last April.

But what does this really mean? Who’s in and who’s out? Time will answer those questions. Jackson told the media yesterday that he plans on talking to the team before their big game against that Pacer team Wednesday. It will be interesting to see how the team comes out after a pep talk from one the best coaches ever.

Looking forward Jackson says he supports Mike Woodson, but it would be an all-time shocker if Woodson is on the bench for the Knicks come next season. Insiders have said that Jackson’s disciples, guys that know his triangle system will be the logical choices. TNT Analyst Steve Kerr who won three championships with Jackson in Chicago has been rumored to be the front-runner. Marc Stein of ESPN went as far as to say it is Kerr’s job to turn down. Other candidates include Brian Shaw who was supposed to succeed Jackson in LA. Shaw is already under contract as Denver head coach, but that won’t stop the Knicks from inquiring (see Thibodeau, Tom).

The long shot candidates are Jeff Van Gundy, someone that knows how to handle Dolan if Jackson ends up having less power than he thought and a cult hero in New York. Find a Knick fan who doesn't love JVG and I show you a Nets fan. The other is Woodson being retained. This is not completely out of the question. If the Knicks get into the playoffs and somehow win in the first round then the team would have to bring him back. It’s a long shot, but still a shot.

What Knicks fans care about most are what this means for Carmelo Anthony and his impending free agency. Will Anthony exercise his one-year option a la Dwight Howard to see what Jackson does with actual cap space flexibility and a first-round draft pick? Will he re-sign for a max contract and put his trust in Jackson to lure that second star in 2015? Anthony has given mixed signals first saying that Jackson’s arrival will have no effect on his free agency decision, but called the move a “power move” by the Knicks. Jackson is known as a culture changing connoisseur and he sure has his work cut out for him. If history serves as any measurement, the Zen Era will be a fruitful one for the Knicks.