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New York Knicks: Phil Jackson Discusses Biggest Mistake As President

By Kenneth Teape

Dec 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson looks on during a stop in play against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson looks on during a stop in play against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half of an NBA basketball game at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Knicks President Phil Jackson discusses what he believes to be his biggest mistake since joining the organization.

The New York Knicks have undergone a lot of changes under President Phil Jackson. Jackson has done his best to strip the roster down and build it back up in his two-plus years on the job.

Jackson was handed a roster that was mismatched, so he got right to work trying to turn around the organization’s fortunes. Prior to this most recent offseason, Jackson made 10 signings, nine trades and two coaching changes.

The coaching change is what drew the most attention at the time. Jackson hired his former point guard Derek Fisher to lead the team, even though he was not the first choice; Jackson wanted Steve Kerr, who would spurn the Knicks for an opportunity with the Golden State Warriors.

Kerr has since taken off, as the Warriors have turned into the best team in the NBA. Fisher, on the other hand, oversaw the worst Knicks team in franchise history, winning only 17 games in his first season. He was then fired February 8th, 2016 and replaced by Kurt Rambis on an interim basis.

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It would be easy for people to point to that decision, hiring Fisher, as Jackson’s worst as his tenure as President. While the two had their differences, Jackson still spoke highly of Fisher’s work ethic when times got tough, saying, “I don’t consider hiring Fish a mistake because he worked hard and got the guys to stay as positive as possible while the losses piled up.”

So if Jackson doesn’t believe that was his worst decision as President, what is? It was actually the first trade that he made with the organization with the Dallas Mavericks.

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Jackson shipped Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to the Mavericks for Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Wayne Ellington, Shane Larkin and two 2014 second round draft picks. The second round picks would turn out to be Cleanthony Early and Thanasis Antetokounmpo.

This was a highly talked about trade, as people believed the Knicks could have gotten more out of Chandler. Many Knicks fans were happy to see him and Felton gone, but it turned out to not move the needle much for the Knicks. They would win only 17 games that following season, as injuries derailed the team and Jackson further tore down the roster.

But, that trade with the Mavericks is what Jackson pinpoints as his biggest mistake thus far. Why is that? Because the people who said he could have gotten more seemed to be right.

Charley Rosen of Today’s Fastbreak met with Jackson throughout the 2015-16 season and wrote a seven-part series chronicling the state of the team. In his last installment, Jackson discussed his biggest mistake and pinpointed the trade with the Mavericks as a missed opportunity.

"“I don’t consider hiring Fish a mistake because he worked hard and got the guys to stay as positive as possible while the losses piled up. I think the biggest mistake I made was actually this…One of the first deals I engineered when I came back to New York was to trade Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to Dallas for Shane Larkin, Jose Calderon, Wayne Ellington, Samuel Dalembert, plus a second-round pick that the Mavs owed to the Celtics. In talking with Boston, I was given the option of taking that pick or else taking Jae Crowder. I liked Crowder but I thought he wouldn’t get much of a chance to play behind Carmelo, so I took the pick which turned out to be Cleanthony Early. While Cleanthony has missed lots of time in the past two seasons with us, he still has the potential to be a valuable player. Even so, I should have taken Crowder."

This is something that will sting Knicks fans a bit, as Crowder has developed into a solid rotation player with the Boston Celtics. Crowder is a thorn in the Knicks side every time they face off, as he gives Carmelo Anthony fits when playing defense against him.

Finding a capable backup on the wing for Anthony has been a problem for the Knicks since they acquired him from the Denver Nuggets. Crowder would have filled that role perfectly as a swiss army knife off the bench. He could have also fit alongside Anthony in the starting lineup, allowing him to move up to the power forward spot.

While Jackson says that Early has the potential to be a valuable player, it won’t be with the Knicks. He is currently a free agent and unlikely to return to the team. Antetokounmpo has given the Knicks very little as well, so not acquiring Crowder has proven to be a mistake for Jackson.

Jackson also said, “Anyway, for all of us, making mistakes are part of the learning process,” which he is correct about. It was the first move he made as President of the team and it proved to be one that didn’t pan out.

But that didn’t stop Jackson from making more deals, as he came away with solid pieces in following trades. Jackson has not given away draft picks while acquiring more assets to help in the future.

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Jackson has the Knicks heading in the right direction as he has overhauled the roster. There is optimism surrounding the organization heading into the 2016-17 season with the acquisitions of Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee and Brandon Jennings. Jackson has come a long way from the Crowder blunder, as he has put together one of the strongest Knicks rosters in recent history.

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