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New York Knicks: James Dolan Needs To Step Up And Fire Phil Jackson

By Robbie Stratakos

Oct 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson yawns watching the Knicks play the Boston Celtics during second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2015; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson yawns watching the Knicks play the Boston Celtics during second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Knicks have become a laughing stock both on and off the court. As a result, it is time for owner James Dolan to come out of hiding and fire team president Phil Jackson.

The 2016-17 NBA season has been a roller coaster ride for the New York Knicks. They’re a putrid 22-33 and currently sit in the 12th seed in the Eastern Conference. It’s been a nightmare of a season, and with the way they are playing and being run, there doesn’t appear to be a light at the end of the tunnel.

Coming into this year, poor play of this magnitude appeared insane to predict. That was due to what appeared to be a productive offseason. It has turned out to not be one, though, and it should be a calling for a big move within the organization.

The Offseason Was Both A Boom And A Bust

In the offseason, the Knicks traded for former MVP point guard Derrick Rose with the intention of him becoming their point guard of the future; however, while he has played well, it appears to a foregone conclusion that Rose won’t be a Knick next year due to the Knicks losing record, and his incident early in January where he practically skipped a game.

In addition to Rose, the Knicks thought that their free agent signees Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Jennings would provide much-needed help on both sides of the ball. That hasn’t been the case.

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Noah has been a liability averaging just five points a game and struggling to finish in the paint. His $72 million dollar deal is quickly turning into one of the worst deals in franchise history. Lee, on the other hand, has been good, but not great. Averaging just over 10 points a game, Lee has been a solid presence for the Knicks.

While his points per game aren’t earth shattering, he has never been a scoring guard. He’s a “three and d” guard. His contract has panned out to be a solid deal for the Knicks, and in reality, Lee has been playing statistically just as good if not better than he has in year’s past shooting 41.8% from three, which is the highest he’s shot in four years. The other guard the Knicks brought in was Brandon Jennings.

Jennings was brought in on a one-year, $5 million dollar deal to come in and be Rose’s backup. Jennings though has played well in spurts. While his point and assist total of nine and five have been solid, Jennings has been a little out of control at times; however, there have also been times where the Knicks have operated better when he is the point guard, as opposed to Rose. When you put it all together though, Jennings lackluster play at times, and below average defense have made him a tough sell to be a part of this team’s future.

When it comes to the Knicks future, many have little to no idea how this team is going to look due to the drama both on and off the court. That starts and ends with team president Phil Jackson.

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