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Phil Jackson is not fondly remembered in New York Knicks history despite winning a championship with the team as a player in 1973.
The former head coach, who won 11 titles off the grid, joined the Knicks in 2014 as team president and during his tenure they went 80-166.
During his tenure, it became clear that Carmelo Anthony and Jackson were not joking for multiple reasons, which Jackson all but confirms in his new book, “Masters of the Game,” out next Tuesday.
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Phil Jackson maintains control of the ball as New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony attempts to steal it during Knicks training camp on Sept. 30, 2014, at Christl Arena at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York. (Robert Sabo/NY Daily News via Getty Images)
Jackson said the mutual split was largely due to her “broken” relationship with Anthony.
“[Owner James] Dolan told me, ‘Is the media going to run you out of town?’ I said, ‘I know who the media is; that doesn’t affect me,'” Jackson wrote, according to the New York Post. “But Dolan felt it was too much. He said, ‘I don’t want you to go through that.’ I know what it’s like to deal with these people. I told him, ‘Unfortunately my relationship with Carmelo is a little broken, and if he’s going to be here, it’s probably better for me to leave.'”
Jackson also said he approached Dolan with the idea of trading Anthony because “we’re not going to win a championship. Carmelo wants a championship; he wants to be on a team that has a chance, and he should be; he’s a Hall of Famer.”
New York Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony controls the ball against Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love during the fourth quarter at Madison Square Garden. (Brad Penner/USA Today Sports)
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Much of the drama occurred between Jackson’s insistence on running the triangle offense that fueled the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers dynasties, which Anthony wanted no part of.
“[Former head coach Jeff] “Hornacek said Carmelo wanted the ball,” Jackson said.
Anthony eventually waived his no-trade clause to join the Oklahoma City Thunder three months after Jackson left the Knicks. That remains his last job in the NBA. Jackson wanted to buy out Anthony’s contract, but ownership refused.
Lakers head coach Phil Jackson walks off the court after being swept by the Mavericks in Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals in Dallas. (Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Jackson also ended up getting into some highly publicized drama with Kristaps Porziņģis, who was the first player Jackson drafted as a Knicks executive.
