I still do not believe that Phil Jax is the best coach in
history as some believe due to the fact that his teams have
always been STACKED. However, if he were able to take a
mediocre team such as this and motivate it to become a
contender, then I will be willing to modify my opinion

here is what people are forgetting. isiah is not the gm. he is the president of basketball operations . so technically, he can give phil the gm title as well as coach. i think steve mills is the acting gm.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/knicks/38769.htm

New York Post

JACKSON WOULD LISTEN TO ISIAH

By MARC BERMAN

While Phil Jackson repeated he would "have to listen" to a Knicks offer, president Isiah Thomas said his next coach would not have to worry about input into personnel decisions.

Jackson confidant Charley Rosen said Sunday he doubts his buddy would accept a Knicks job because he would need "veto power" as far as player moves.

"Any coach I hire will have a say," Thomas responded yesterday.

Jackson said in a TV interview from the Australian Open Sunday night he had yet to be contacted but has a "connection" with Thomas, adding "Isiah and I have a friendship that goes back a long ways."

Thomas plans to make a play for Jackson and Pistons coach Larry Brown, a native of Long Beach who recently finished building his retirement home in East Hampton. Thomas considers them the top coaches in the game because they make individual players overachieve.

Brown may be the better fit, but he'll be under contract with Detroit this summer. Pistons brass likely would want a heavy ransom — a draft pick and some of Cablevision's millions. James Dolan could've had Brown in the summer of 2003 but stuck with Don Chaney.

During preseason, Jackson first made his interest known but he could be using the Knicks as leverage.

"What I did say is that I'd have to listen if they came and talked," Jackson said. "I'd have to listen to them but that's not saying I'd be ready to coach."

The vacationing Jackson, who returns to the U.S. in March, realizes that with the change from Lenny Wilkens to interim Herb Williams, the 17-23 Knicks could be in store for a disastrous finish.

"It's an interim situation, they say, with Lenny leaving that position, so I'm sure they're going to have a struggle during the course of the year," Jackson said.

Williams met behind closed doors with Dolan following Sunday's loss to the Bucks to sign his new head-coaching contract and received a significant raise, but a source said there is no guaranteed money for next year.

Williams has taken the Jackson furor in stride, as he prepares for tonight's game vs. Phoenix. "I can't worry about Phil Jackson," Williams said. "I'm worried about [Amare] Stoudamire, [Steve] Nash, [Quentin] Richardson."

Jackson confirmed he still is leaning toward sitting out next season. "I don't have that urge," Jackson said.

Copyright 2005 NYP Holdings, Inc.

Posted by gunsnewing:

I think Isiah will hire Phil. He better or Dolan might fire him and then hire Phil lol

That is right, if Isiah got a problem with phil, he might have a problem. Sure, get Phil and get all the power. If Isiah don't like it, he can bolt.

Its the Knicks, why not! Phil would want his own coaches, so Isiah can just say he was pushed out blah blah blah!

Posted by Panos:

I still do not believe that Phil Jax is the best coach in
history as some believe due to the fact that his teams have
always been STACKED. However, if he were able to take a
mediocre team such as this and motivate it to become a
contender, then I will be willing to modify my opinion

Phil built a dynasty in Chicago with Pippen, an allstar small forward and of course Mike. The rest of the players were all role players!

Think about it, Horance grant? Rodman (was damaged, but phil got him to play), Hodges-Paxon-Kerr( all good, but specialized role player), Harper was way past prime, Big men? Cartwright (good, but not great), Wennington? Perdue? Longley?,

The point guard was usually a shooter, and either pippen was the "power point" or it was Mike.

He got mike to believe that he could rely on his fellow players. I can recall many a game when it was not mike taking the last shot, but Paxton, Kerr, and Wennington all winning huge playoff games wit last shots.

Outside of Shaq-Kobe, the Lakers were the same way. Fischer? Fox? Horrey, George, Medavwahtever, etc, all role players, not stars.

Phil made the role players much better, and the all stars better players, and better people. In my eyes he was the greatest of all time. Many coaches have had great rosters. The Sixers in the 1980's with DR J and company only one once! Many Ranger Hockey teams, Adlemans teams with portland and Sac, Suns teams with Barkley, Karls Sonic teams, all great on paper, but not tied togeher.

Jax needs more than Steph to make it work! But not much more. He needs one more player. But yo gotta get some higher IQ guys, not dimwits like TT.

This would definitely be a new challenge for him. The triangle seems ill-suited for a team the revolves around Steph and Craw. I would like to see him do it though after we add a good low post player. That would be interesting to see how he would run our offense with those two and our future big.

Posted by JUNKMEIN:

Isiah is not leaving the Knicks for Phil Jackson to assume his position. I'm sure Phil Jackson being in "power" makes some people feel much much more comfortable than having...as they say, that "snake", that "dirty rat" (in Cagne voice of course) . However, to think that Isiah is in a position where he'll be forced out by Dolan, replaced by Phil Jackson or leave voluntarily anytime soon is just folly. To think that he might leave the Knicks by using Phil Jackson as a stepping stone to exiting the Knicks.....hmm, let me think about it for a second....It's Preposterous!

++

No, you got me wrong, Isiah Not leaving for a while. Im saying that the two would be cool, but Isiah leaves cuz he wants to do somthing else, and he can leave on good terms. Say get an equity stake in a different team, or go coach if he wants.