The New York Knicks are patiently (impatiently) awaiting a word from Phil Jackson as to whether or not he is ready to jump back into the NBA. The team has reportedly offered the NBA coaching legend a job in the front office as a team consultant, a move the Knicks hope turns the franchise onto a better path. While the team expects a decision soon, Jackson is reportedly awaiting another person's decision before making his own.
According to SNY, Jackson will only agree to come to the Knicks if he has total assurance that Carmelo Anthony will re-sign with the team in free agency this summer. Jackson is aware that Anthony holds star power and is the type of player to build a team around. James Dolan attempted to do that and failed, but Jackson could be better at it. However, if Anthony leaves for a team in contention to win over the next few years, Jackson would be left with nothing to work with in New York.
Jackson has already turned down an offer to be the next head coach of the team. However, he is reportedly open to taking the front office job and getting put in charge of basketball operations. New York is not acknowledging the offer to Jackson who has solid history with the team. However, numerous NBA sources confirm that Jackson is mulling the move with a lucrative contract offer.
Since Jackson is not under contract with anyone in the NBA, he could discuss free agency with Anthony. When asked about the potential of Jackson joining the franchise, the guard avoided the question simply saying he had no idea what was going on.
"I don't even know what's going on with that, so it's hard for me to say anything,'' Anthony said via Newsday.com. "Nobody came to me about that. Until that time comes, I'm still not going to know what's going on, until somebody brings that to me. It's hard to say at this particular moment. If anything, it's not going to be right now. I'm pretty sure they'll wait until the offseason to make something happen and then everyone will deal with all that stuff at that time.''
Pursing Jackson shows that Knicks are serious about changing the franchise after this disastrous 2013-14 season. If he agrees to take the front office job, Anthony could be more enticed to re-sign with the team over others like the Chicago Bulls. However, Jackson might not budge until Anthony does. There is also the question of what Mike Woodson's future looks like if Jackson is on board. New York should have an interesting few months coming up.