Knicks finally move on from Phil Jackson circus

The New York Knicks are always a topic of conversation among NBA fans, but usually only for a cheap laugh. The team has not been to the Eastern Conference Finals since 2000, and is without a real championship bid since the mid 1990s during the Patrick Ewing/Pat Riley days.

On Wednesday, the Knicks might have finally made a move toward respectability by firing team president Phil Jackson after three of the worst seasons imaginable. New York never won more than 35 games with Jackson at the helm, and were constantly embroiled in some nonsense. Carmelo Anthony was signed to a megadeal only to be dragged through the mud consistently, while broken-down Joakim Noah was given an absurd four-year pact worth $72 million.

The final straw came in the last week, though. Jackson engaged in talks to deal Kristaps Porzingis, the 21-year-old superstar that has been the only shining light for a team mired in horrendous play for 15 years. With that, owner James Dolan decided enough was enough, and finally made a competent decision by removing the Zen Master.

Now, the Knicks have to find another general manager, but that takes a back seat to free agency. According to ESPN, New York will continue to look at adding players to its roster without replacing Jackson in the immediate future, instead looking toward July 1.  In the meantime, Steve Mills will continue making the personnel decisions, staying in his role as general manager (Mills was the GM while Jackson was in town, but didn’t call any shots. When a new team president gets announced, and former Cleveland Cavaliers GM David Griffin is in the running, the same arrangement is expected).

Whether or not the firing of Jackson and the next eventual hire truly matter is a question of ownership. Dolan has been a bubbling, meddling mess since he’s owned the team, only held back during the Riley years. Since then, he has run coaches and executives off alike, all while forcing trades and signings. It has been a complete disaster, something anybody who owns a Knicks jersey can attest to.

If none of the above paragraph changes, the Knicks could hire Gregg Popovich and Jerry West, and they will still fail to reach the playoffs.

Still, New York and its fans should be happy. Jackson was an unstoppable force toward losing 50 games every season, and now he’s history. It’s hard to believe the Knicks could bring in anybody more ill-suited for the job, although Dolan has hired Isiah Thomas before.

Here’s to hoping Dolan gets it right and stays out of the way. The NBA is better when Madison Square Garden is alive, and it’s been dead for quite some time.