New York Knicks: Phil Jackson Critical Of Former Players

With the NBA schedule release dominating headlines, it is a quiet time for the New York Knicks. But, that doesn’t mean that they won’t find their way into the news. Phil Jackson recently found himself there, as he gave some stinging evaluations of players from last year’s team. The players that he targeted? Tim Hardaway Jr., who was traded to the Atlanta Hawks on draft night for the rights to Jerian Grant, and Andrea Bargnani and Shane Larkin, two players the crosstown rival Brooklyn Nets signed this offseason.

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In Hardaway, Jackson was very critical of the defensive effort he put forth. Anyone that watched the Knicks over the last two seasons and saw Hardaway on the court could see his defense needed a lot of improvement. With an increased opportunity because of injuries to the roster last season, Hardaway wilted on both ends of the court, and Jackson did not hold back when talking about him to Charley Rosen.

“Perhaps the worst part of Timmy’s game is his ugly defense. We want guys to beat their man to the screen, to wedge themselves between the screen and their man — something that Timmy rarely, if ever, did. Instead, he kind of threw his head back and ated as though it was somebody else’s responsibility to correctly hand the situation. Timmy needs to grow emotionally to become an NBA player.”

Not exactly a glowing assessment, as Hardaway Jr. looked to be a building block for the Knicks at this time last year. Now he is a member of the Hawks, as Mike Budenholzer and their staff will look to get the most out of the 24th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Jackson also added that while Hardaway Jr. worked on his left hand when he injured his right wrist, dribbling and passing with his left still needs work.

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His assessment of Larkin was what many scouts thought of the diminutive guard coming out of Miami. Jackson said, “He’s incredibly quick but he doesn’t use his speed the way he should. Shane mainly wants to get his shot off a high screen-roll situation when he should be pushing the ball and getting his shots in an open floor. Another problem is that he can’t control the ball because he has such tiny hands. For sure, every team needs a small, quick guard, but there are a lot of guys like that available.”

It is hard to argue against the size of his hands, a clear deterrent for Larkin. But, it could also be argued he did everything he could in the system that the Knicks run. Playing in Derek Fisher’s version of the triangle basically held Larkin in check, as the Knicks were not a team built to get into the open court where Larkin succeeded. Instead, they slowed it down and played in the half-court, where Larkin’s shortcomings were more visible.

Could Larkin find more comfortability in Brooklyn with Lionel Hollins and the Nets? He will have an opportunity to get minutes off the bench behind Jarrett Jack, and will have a familiar running partner in Bargnani. Like Larkin, Bargnani is looking for a fresh start with Brooklyn after a disastrous two seasons with the Knicks.

Mar 10, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Jazz guard Trey Burke (3) shoots the ball over New York Knicks guard Shane Larkin (0) and center Andrea Bargnani (77) during the first half at EnergySolutions Arena. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Jackson didn’t hold back criticizing Bargnani either, a player he tried endlessly to trade but to no avail; not many teams are interested in a seven-footer who doesn’t rebound or play much defense. In his assessment Jackson didn’t hold any punches, saying, “AB was and still is a big tease. When he was injured he refused to do simple non-contact activities like dummy our offense in practice. He seemed to be a malingerer and this had a bad effect on the team, and also on the way the Knicks fans reacted to him. When he was on the court, he had a hard time staying intense, didn’t hustle back in offense-to-defense transition, wasn’t active enough in defending screen-rolls. Still, his offense is perfectly suited to the triangle because he really doesn’t have to work very hard to get shots. He’s another guy we renounced, but whether we can agree on financial terms for his return, or he winds up someplace else, AB will always be somewhat of an enigma.

Wow. Well, we know now that the Knicks didn’t have Bargnani in their plans, as he will be playing with the Nets. Jackson inherited Bargnani from the last regime, costing multiple draft picks including a first rounder in 2016. That was probably one of the driving forces behind Jackson trying to make things work so the Knicks could get some sort of return on their investment, but it just wasn’t in the cards.

This just throws more wood fire that is the Bargnani hate from many Knicks fans. No one wants to hear about a player refusing to participate in practice, especially one that seemed to need as much work as Bargnani. But, as a player that just finished his ninth season in the NBA, it is hard to imagine him changing his ways now. Bargnani has plenty of talent, but the fact it seems he chose to not use it is infuriating as the Knicks were hoping he could become a focal point of the team, but instead became the punchline in a number of jokes.

Jackson was very critical of some of his old players, but it was all warranted. It is hard to argue against a guy that has been as successful in basketball as Jackson, as there is a lot of truth to everything he said. Hopefully the players he elected to bring in to replace the departed ones can help turn things around with Carmelo Anthony.

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