http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/bondy-coach-phil-lurking-dangerous-knicks-article-1.1726297

On his first day as president of the Knicks, Phil Jackson was still very much a coach, not an executive.

He spoke glowingly about the triangle offense, complained specifically about the footwork in the NBA, said he demanded three offensive rebounders on the boards with two guys backing up on defense after a shot goes up.

What he didn’t talk about was the league’s salary cap, the phone calls he would need to make to other NBA executives, his specific scouting schedule or whether he would be the one negotiating contracts with players. He didn’t really get asked all those questions, because not every newspaper in New York was permitted to address him. But the point is, Jackson will need to think differently in his new role or nobody of any substance will ever want to act as his surrogate coach.

Imagine for a moment what would have happened in Chicago if Jerry Krause had told Jackson to forget the triangle, go with more isolations for Jordan. Or if Jerry West had demanded the same thing for Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. This is not the president’s role. Jackson needs to hire a smart coach, one who reflects his general playing philosophies, and then step out of the way. He must revamp the dysfunctional hierarchy at the Garden, make the right personnel decisions. That’s how he earns his $60 million.

Look, Jackson is a smart guy. He probably will figure this all out soon enough and stop trying to micromanage every dribble. But on Tuesday, it sure sounded as if he still wanted to coach, and that all his hires for that position might end up like Stan Van Gundy in Miami.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that, if Jackson really wants to roam the sidelines again.

“I think one of the biggest issues that I have at this particular point in NBA basketball is I see a tremendous amount of footwork incorrectly, sometimes three or four steps before people make a move,” he said. “So footwork is very important, passing is very important. Those are like junior high school/high school skills that have to be reiterated and those are things I’m going to insist a coach does in building a team, because these are the things that are building blocks of good basketball players. Everybody should know that.”

Now they do. Now they know that Jackson will be watching the practices, dissecting the game films, getting all huffy whenever Carmelo Anthony or anybody else pivots or fakes too long.
RELATED: LAWRENCE: WITH JAX'S LOYALTY IN HAND, BALL IS IN MELO'S COURT
Have fun with that notion, Mike Woodson. And all future Knick coaches.
Although Jackson did not specify that his triangle offense would be mandatory, he said he was a systems guy and that the triangle is a scheme he certainly embraces. He remains an expert in that particular field of study, and a prideful one at that.

Jackson bristled that the system had been unfairly “maligned” recently, though it’s unclear exactly where such criticism arose.
“I coached it for 20 years and it’s one of the things that people do come to me and talk to me about,” Jackson said. “We’ve been relegated in triangle world to a lot of the women’s teams right now.”

Relegated? We’ll forgive the sexism just for the moment, but Jackson should know he works in New York now, where such politically incorrect statements will be parsed and pounced upon.

“It’s been very effective. It’s a simple offense,” Jackson said of Tex Winter’s baby. “It’s pretty logical and pretty practical in many ways. It’s not an insistence but I do like to have a system. I think there’s a logical method of playing basketball in which there are a number of principles.”

Jackson said he had seven principles of a sound offense. You could almost see the next Knick coach rolling his eyes at such holy basketball commandments, handed down from atop the mountain.

Inevitably, if this is going to work, then Jackson will either have to coach, or he’ll have to be president. On Day 1, he was still running layup drills.

holfresh wrote:I totally agree with this assessment and he has to be the GM...He can't bring in guys that fits his system but guys who fits the new coach system...I thought the same as Bondy yesterday..

I think what is being said here is a system is going to be established (by Phil) and that the coach and players are selected based on that. If not, every time a coach changes its possible that you'd have to start over with selecting players that fit the coaches system. 1 strategy, and it starts from Phil.

And Jax is no idiot. He is not going to micromanage to the point where he is going to drive his coach crazy. He was a coach for more than enough years to appreciate the importance of allowing the coach to do his job.

That said, I think it is essential that Jackson hire a young coach (i.e. one who is not set in his ways) he is close with (i.e. one who is comfortable with Jackson and will want to learn from the Zen Master). This is the recipe for success, IMHO.

Steve Kerr, you have a phone call on Line 2...

holfresh wrote:

Andrew wrote:

holfresh wrote:I totally agree with this assessment and he has to be the GM...He can't bring in guys that fits his system but guys who fits the new coach system...I thought the same as Bondy yesterday..

I think what is being said here is a system is going to be established (by Phil) and that the coach and players are selected based on that. If not, every time a coach changes its possible that you'd have to start over with selecting players that fit the coaches system. 1 strategy, and it starts from Phil.

Isn't the system established by the coach??..In that, it renders the coach powerless...What coach would want to give up that power..All good coaches have their own philosophy, just like Phil does...I can't see many wanting to summit to Phil's will unless they lack experience...

he is the most successful coach in nba history. he is now president of basketball operations. he is going to bring in candidates that will adhere to the principles he has won with 13 times, including two times as player under red holzman's personal tutelage in 1969-1970 when he was injured.

red holzman taught phil jackson and red holzman is the only coach to have won titles in new york.

what you are begging for, it seems, is chaos instead of continuity and a shared plan.

why?

fishmike wrote:

holfresh wrote:

Andrew wrote:

holfresh wrote:I totally agree with this assessment and he has to be the GM...He can't bring in guys that fits his system but guys who fits the new coach system...I thought the same as Bondy yesterday..

I think what is being said here is a system is going to be established (by Phil) and that the coach and players are selected based on that. If not, every time a coach changes its possible that you'd have to start over with selecting players that fit the coaches system. 1 strategy, and it starts from Phil.

Isn't the system established by the coach??..In that, it renders the coach powerless...What coach would want to give up that power..All good coaches have their own philosophy, just like Phil does...I can't see many wanting to summit to Phil's will unless they lack experience...

we have talked here for years about "style of play"

What kind of team are we?

We have seen for year the Knicks only MO is to sign talented guys, but with no clue or intent to integrate them into anything that makes sense. we have seen this for years. Even with Marbury... that first team was pretty good. Marbs was a great drive and kick PG. We had Doleac, Kurt, KVH... nothing great but guys who were good shooters and really fit Marbs game. Then Isiah got greedy and screwed up any mojo that group had.

Anyway I think this is the right way. Have a blue print and build according to plan.

But that's the coaches job, not the GM...

holfresh wrote:

dk7th wrote:

holfresh wrote:

Andrew wrote:

holfresh wrote:I totally agree with this assessment and he has to be the GM...He can't bring in guys that fits his system but guys who fits the new coach system...I thought the same as Bondy yesterday..

I think what is being said here is a system is going to be established (by Phil) and that the coach and players are selected based on that. If not, every time a coach changes its possible that you'd have to start over with selecting players that fit the coaches system. 1 strategy, and it starts from Phil.

Isn't the system established by the coach??..In that, it renders the coach powerless...What coach would want to give up that power..All good coaches have their own philosophy, just like Phil does...I can't see many wanting to summit to Phil's will unless they lack experience...

he is the most successful coach in nba history. he is now president of basketball operations. he is going to bring in candidates that will adhere to the principles he has won with 13 times, including two times as player under red holzman's personal tutelage in 1969-1970 when he was injured.

red holzman taught phil jackson and red holzman is the only coach to have won titles in new york.

what you are begging for, it seems, is chaos instead of continuity and a shared plan.

why?

If Phil want to coach, he should coach..

"i am too old to play and i am too lame to coach."
"i have had 5 operations in the last several years for hips and knees. and i have other healthy issues as well."

he is not interested in coaching but he does want someone here who will be an extension of him who understands the principles and fundamentals of basketball that he himself instilled in his players when he was a coach and earlier still what he was taught when he played.

any coach who comes in here should be working under the auspices of phil jackson, not as some sort of separate free agent. how else do you expect "systemic" change otherwise? this franchise has been a disaster because nobody has been on the same page and the owner did not allow the gms to do their jobs.

holfresh wrote:

dk7th wrote:

holfresh wrote:

dk7th wrote:

holfresh wrote:

Andrew wrote:

holfresh wrote:I totally agree with this assessment and he has to be the GM...He can't bring in guys that fits his system but guys who fits the new coach system...I thought the same as Bondy yesterday..

I think what is being said here is a system is going to be established (by Phil) and that the coach and players are selected based on that. If not, every time a coach changes its possible that you'd have to start over with selecting players that fit the coaches system. 1 strategy, and it starts from Phil.

Isn't the system established by the coach??..In that, it renders the coach powerless...What coach would want to give up that power..All good coaches have their own philosophy, just like Phil does...I can't see many wanting to summit to Phil's will unless they lack experience...

he is the most successful coach in nba history. he is now president of basketball operations. he is going to bring in candidates that will adhere to the principles he has won with 13 times, including two times as player under red holzman's personal tutelage in 1969-1970 when he was injured.

red holzman taught phil jackson and red holzman is the only coach to have won titles in new york.

what you are begging for, it seems, is chaos instead of continuity and a shared plan.

why?

If Phil want to coach, he should coach..

"i am too old to play and i am too lame to coach."
"i have had 5 operations in the last several years for hips and knees. and i have other healthy issues as well."

he is not interested in coaching but he does want someone here who will be an extension of him who understands the principles and fundamentals of basketball that he himself instilled in his players when he was a coach and earlier still what he was taught when he played.

any coach who comes in here should be working under the auspices of phil jackson, not as some sort of separate free agent. how else do you expect "systemic" change otherwise? this franchise has been a disaster because nobody has been on the same page and the owner did not allow the gms to do their jobs.

So Phil will be the de facto coach, just not traveling with the team??

nope. you bring in cartwright or kerr and you have two guys who understand the triangle. no doubt jackson will be having closed sessions to look at game video with his coach or coaching staff, either in the same room or via internet. it's the 21st century.

holfresh wrote:

dk7th wrote:

holfresh wrote:

dk7th wrote:

holfresh wrote:

dk7th wrote:

holfresh wrote:

Andrew wrote:

holfresh wrote:I totally agree with this assessment and he has to be the GM...He can't bring in guys that fits his system but guys who fits the new coach system...I thought the same as Bondy yesterday..

I think what is being said here is a system is going to be established (by Phil) and that the coach and players are selected based on that. If not, every time a coach changes its possible that you'd have to start over with selecting players that fit the coaches system. 1 strategy, and it starts from Phil.

Isn't the system established by the coach??..In that, it renders the coach powerless...What coach would want to give up that power..All good coaches have their own philosophy, just like Phil does...I can't see many wanting to summit to Phil's will unless they lack experience...

he is the most successful coach in nba history. he is now president of basketball operations. he is going to bring in candidates that will adhere to the principles he has won with 13 times, including two times as player under red holzman's personal tutelage in 1969-1970 when he was injured.

red holzman taught phil jackson and red holzman is the only coach to have won titles in new york.

what you are begging for, it seems, is chaos instead of continuity and a shared plan.

why?

If Phil want to coach, he should coach..

"i am too old to play and i am too lame to coach."
"i have had 5 operations in the last several years for hips and knees. and i have other healthy issues as well."

he is not interested in coaching but he does want someone here who will be an extension of him who understands the principles and fundamentals of basketball that he himself instilled in his players when he was a coach and earlier still what he was taught when he played.

any coach who comes in here should be working under the auspices of phil jackson, not as some sort of separate free agent. how else do you expect "systemic" change otherwise? this franchise has been a disaster because nobody has been on the same page and the owner did not allow the gms to do their jobs.

So Phil will be the de facto coach, just not traveling with the team??

nope. you bring in cartwright or kerr and you have two guys who understand the triangle. no doubt jackson will be having closed sessions to look at game video with his coach or coaching staff, either in the same room or via internet. it's the 21st century.

And you have no problem with that...

what's your problem with that? you don't need to be in the same room anymore, videoconferences happen all the time. or you don't like the notion of cartwright or kerr on the sidelines?

jackson is going to have plenty of opportunities to be with the team he assembles, imparting his principles and at worst have proxies of him on the sidelines, not puppets. proxies.