Phil Jackson now on the other side
— -- Phil Jackson's the one who first pointed out to me the inherent conflict between coaches and general managers. Coaches are trying to do everything they can to win right now, while general managers need to think about the franchise's future -- thus protecting their own. That's why it's so strange to see Jackson himself aligning with this side of the divide, taking a front-office position with a New York Knicks franchise that hasn't succeeded in the now or set itself up well for the future for the past 15 years.
There are two elements that fit Phil's pattern: The Knicks are in a big market, and they're paying him big money. That's the Jackson we saw in Chicago and especially the Jackson who cashed in on his success in Los Angeles with previously unprecedented pay levels. Oh, and contrary to the popular perception, Jackson doesn't only take jobs that are on the brink of winning a championship. The Lakers were coming off a 34-win season when he rejoined them in 2005.
If you reduce it to those base factors, the circumstances wouldn't seem so bizarre. It's when you reach the next layer and add the details that it's hard to see the fit.
Jackson's last boss was the best owner in pro sports, Jerry Buss. His new boss, James Dolan is ... not. As one NBA executive put it, "Phil and Dolan will not work. Like, never." And there's so much uncertainty about how detailed Jackson's involvement will be.
It's more critical that Jackson be involved than it would be for any other distant president, because so much of Jackson's achievements have to do with his personality. In January, while I was examining the reasons why Jackson's unparalleled achievements in the NBA has not spawned a Popovichian tree of successors throughout the league, Kobe Bryant provided this telling observation:
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