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New York Knicks President Phil Jackson reached back to his Albany Patroon days to take a shot at Knicks star Carmelo Anthony.
In a tweet that was an apparent reference to Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding’s Tuesday column about the folly of trying to change Anthony’s playing style , Jackson wrote that he learned he couldn’t change a player’s approach when he coached former Georgetown star Michael Graham when the two men were with the Albany Patroons in the mid 1980s.
Bleacher’s Ding almost rings the bell, but I learned you don’t change the spot on a leopard with Michael Graham in my CBA daze.
Jackson coached the Patroons before getting his start as a head coach in the NBA. He was the coach when Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles and led the Lakers through several championship years.
But his tenure as the Knicks president has been marred by under-performing teams.
The New York Daily News and other city-based newspapers have reported the Knicks are trying to trade Anthony and the former Syracuse University star has faced criticism for his playing style.
Jackson has not spoken to reporters in months, leaving the writers to interpret Jackson’s intentions from tweets and leaks.
Jackson and Graham clashed during Graham’s time with the CBA team before Graham left the team.
On Wednesday, Graham turned the other cheek, telling the Daily News: “I wouldn’t say a leopard can’t change his spots.”
“My life is good. I’m married, I have children, I’m a business owner and I have a foundation that helps kids in the D.C. area. I’m good.”
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