After last season’s Super Bowl Sunday loss put the Knicks eight games below .500, Phil Jackson fired his coach, Derek Fisher.
A year later on Super Sunday, the Knicks stood eight games under .500 again. The Knicks president can no longer in good conscience use another coach as scapegoat.
Instead, Jackson tries to fire his best player — by far his best scorer, Carmelo Anthony, even though he is violating the contract terms.
Jackson, according to a source, is in “miserable’’ spirits because of the losing, but it’s no excuse for his behavior.
In all the soap operas that have surrounded this sad-sack franchise since Jeff Van Gundy left in 2001, this is among the most disturbing. Jackson, through a purposeful lack of communication with Anthony, has made the Knicks star into a sympathetic figure.
After the Knicks’ loss to the Cavaliers on Saturday night, Anthony admitted: “It’s testing my will as a human being, but also making me stronger throughout this process.”
Coach Jeff Hornacek added Sunday of Anthony: “You can see it a little bit. I think he’s been pretty good at it. You think about it when you go home, you think about it on your drive into work, but on the court you forget about it. He’s been pretty good dealing with it.”
No matter what you think about tanking another season under Jackson, Anthony has every right to uphold his no-trade clause. It would be noble if he does. What’s the point in having the clause if you let the front office kick you out the door on its timetable?
Anthony is a tortured soul. He doesn’t want to be where he’s not wanted. Recently, Anthony said he’s “numb’’ to Jackson’s feelings, playing only for his teammates. They want him to stay, especially Kristaps Porzingis.
If that’s the case, stay. Tell Jackson to cut the crap. Anthony has a playoff berth to chase when the Knicks resume their schedule Monday at the Garden versus the Lakers, who no longer need Jackson after Magic Johnson’s hire. The Knicks are still just 1 ½ games out of the East’s eighth seed at 22-30.
Jackson confidant Charley Rosen ran a recent follow-up piece to his controversial tome for Fanragsports.com when he penned Anthony has “outlived his usefulness in New York.’’ Anthony alleged the story had Jackson’s fingerprints on it. The Zen Master remained tellingly silent.
Rosen’s second piece gave seven reasons why Anthony should stick it out. Of course, Rosen listed 13 reasons why he should leave.
In a nutshell, Rosen said Anthony should stay because: his family loves it here, he’s still the face of the franchise, NYC is good for his brand, his teammates like him, he’s indebted to bringing this franchise back to prominence, he still helps them win with his extraordinary 1-on-1 scoring talent and the Knicks have great fans. Rosen missed the most important point — Anthony’s horrific legacy in New York if he leaves now.
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General manager Steve Mills said not long ago he wants guys who really want to play here. Another false proclamation from the front office.
Jackson understands this is a cruel business, but what he’s doing is unprecedented behavior for a team president, considering he gave Anthony the no-trade provision. Future free agents are watching what one player agent called “total chaos.’’
The Zen Master feels he has done everything to change the losing culture, having given Anthony 44 different teammates. The only measure Jackson hasn’t taken is wiping Anthony from the picture, so he’s intrigued.
In his third straight losing season, Jackson wants to rebuild, buy another three seasons instead of competing with the roster he reassembled this summer with 10 new faces. Hornacek, a company man, attempted Sunday to justify that thinking.
Despite Anthony’s defensive flaws, the Knicks will be a laughingstock without him if they get backup guard Austin Rivers and a future first-round pick.
From what I’m told, Jackson wants to build around Porzingis, Willy Hernangomez, Justin Holiday, Courtney Lee, Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Marshall Plumlee, use their lottery pick for a point guard in a draft stuffed with them and make Joakim Noah their rock of a backup center.
Jackson can do this in the summer when more teams have cap space to facilitate a trade and Anthony won’t have to be ripped from his family in February.
Let Anthony attempt to turn this into a season with 30 games left. Jackson would never give up on a season as coach, but he is quite the quitter as a president.
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