Report: Phil Jackson Expected To Decide Monday On Offer From Knicks
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Is Phil Jackson up to the task of fixing the Knicks?
We should find out soon enough.
According to the New York Daily News, the Hall of Famer is expected to tell owner James Dolan on Monday whether he'll accept a position in the organization's front office and run basketball operations.
Jackson has never been an NBA executive, though his credentials as a head coach speak for themselves.
The 68-year-old has won 11 titles as a coach (six with the Bulls and five with the Lakers) and two as a player with none other than the Knicks.
The 'Bockers, of course, haven't been champions since 1973.
On Friday, ESPN reported that Jackson was offered the Knicks' head-coaching job, but he turned it down.
New York fans have been chanting for the ouster of coach Mike Woodson throughout the season. Woodson coached the Knicks to the Atlantic Division title just last season. But despite winning three in a row against lowly opponents, this team is just 24-40 and 3 1/2 games behind the Hawks for the eighth and final playoff spot in the terrible Eastern Conference.
It's been long-rumored that only a front-office job with something close to total control would lure the iconic "Zen Master" out of retirement.
Prior to the season, Jackson was linked to the Brooklyn Nets' head-coaching vacancy, which was eventually filled by Jason Kidd in June of 2013.
But is Jackson's true desire to stay in Los Angeles and again work for the Lakers, who are having an even worse season than the Knicks? The coaching legend is revered in L.A., and he lives in both Montana and Playa Del Rey, Calif.
"The Knicks and Phil are getting exactly what they want out of this," one general manager told the newspaper. "The Knicks are showing that they want to do something and this is a chance for Phil to get the Lakers to make a move. If they don't, he can take the Knicks' money."
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