Phil Jackson Must Go, Not Carmelo Anthony
The NBA has been wrapped up in drama the last couple of weeks. LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers have been struggling, which has caused James to publicly complain about the lack of playmaking on the roster.
Then you have the Chicago Bulls fiasco with Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade calling out their teammates for their effort. That caused Rajon Rondo to post on instagram referencing his days in Boston, creating more unwanted controversy for the Bulls.
However, you can’t have drama in the NBA without including the New York Knicks. They haven’t lived up to expectations, and it has been star forward Carmelo Anthony that has taken the bulk of the criticism. While Anthony is part of the problem, most of the Knicks’ issues have been caused by President Basketball Operations Phil Jackson. For the Knicks to move in the right direction, they need to get rid of Jackson, not Anthony.
The trade talk surrounding Carmelo Anthony is incredibly disrespectful in my opinion. Rumors come out of the front office, and I don’t see a good reason for why fans have gotten behind Anthony leaving.
Back in 2014, Anthony was an unrestricted free agent who visited various contending teams before resigning with the Knicks. The Bulls, Rockets, and Heat were all solid options for Anthony to contend for championships. He stayed loyal to his home team though. Now the man who sold him on returning, is being extremely petty in his attempts to push Anthony out of New York.
What I found interesting was that when Anthony resigned, he talked about how Jackson sold him on his ability to build championship teams. That is a questionable proclamation from Jackson, who’s only championship teams were those in which he inherited. Phil Jackson has no track record in building winning teams. He only knows how to win with someone else’s players.
Here are the records of the teams Jackson was on before he took over.
Bulls Season Before Jackson: 47–35 (Lost in East Finals)
Lakers Season Before Jackson: 61–21 (Lost in West Finals)
Knicks Season Before Jackson: 37–45
As you can see, Jackson is not one to build a successful team from nothing. The Knicks are a combined 70–142 under Jackson’s control, and this season has been his worst job yet.
What fans often forget about Carmelo Anthony is that he has never been successful when he is “The Guy”. Anthony would be a great second option on a team that already has an established superstar. The problems have come because the teams he’s been on haven’t provided that kind of player. That is why he has never gotten to the NBA finals, and it’s why the Knicks continue to struggle.
Phil Jackson was supposed to build a championship caliber team around Anthony. Now that he hasn’t been able to acquire a #1 guy to pair with Anthony, Jackson has deflected the blame.
To me, the moves Jackson has make it impossible to look at anyone else as the problem in New York. Signing Joakim Noah to a 4 year contract worth $72 million is inexcusable. I realize that Noah does a lot of good things on the court, but Jackson completely overpaid for an aging big man with no offensive game.
Trading for Derrick Rose was not a good move either. The Knicks did not give up a lot of assets to get Rose, but he takes up cap space that restricts the possibility of adding a better player. Rose will be a free agent after the season, and if the Knicks resign him, they can continue to enjoy the lower end of the standings.
The farthest Anthony has gotten in the playoffs was in 2008–09 with Denver. On that team, the next best player other than Anthony was Chauncey Billups. While on the down slide of his career, Billups was still a crafty playmaker who hit big shots. That duo wasn’t enough to put Denver over the Lakers, but it was the best team Anthony has been on because Billups was the steadying presence on the floor.
There is not a single player on the Knicks roster that has a steadying presence. Porzingis is very talented, but he can’t be counted on quite yet. Anthony’s strengths would be maximized with a playmaker better than Billups, while his weaknesses would be hidden since he wouldn’t be asked to do as much.
Here are the Net Points Per 100 Possessions for Anthony’s 2-Man combos.
Anthony/Billups: +7.2
Anthony/Iverson: +3.7
Anthony/Rose: -2.8
Anthony is not a superstar. He never has been, but Phil Jackson expects him to carry a team of overpaid veterans. Knicks fans shouldn’t vilify Anthony for mistakes that Jackson has made. If Anthony is shipped off to a team like the Clippers or Thunder, he would fit in seamlessly with a superstar at his side.
New York needs to hit the reset button, but it shouldn’t start with dealing away Anthony. Instead, Jackson should be the one run out of town for his crimes. He doesn’t know how to build a team that isn’t already put together. I feel like Jackson’s pettiness is laughable, and it surprises me that the New York fan base stands behind him more than Anthony.
