Phil Jackson Is Just Getting Started

"So far my experiment has fallen flat on its face."

  Those were the words of New York Knicks' president Phil Jackson while assessing the results the triangle offense has had on the team this season. However, some are taking it the usual steps further by calling Jackson himself a flop and labeling the triangle as outdated and unworkable in today's NBA. Well, a good look at the bigger picture is in order, whether those "experts" like it or not. 

  First and most obvious, these Knicks aren't exactly Jackson's Los Angeles Lakers or Chicago Bulls. Aside from Carmelo Anthony this roster is pretty much D-League material. But it's easy to see why. Jackson has been busy creating as much cap room as possible while getting rid of bad and unnecessary players and utilizing the "art" of tanking because that's the way it's done in the NBA these days. And, unlike his predecessors, Jackson has easily resisted other teams' attempts to sweet-talk him out of what could be the first pick in the NBA draft this summer and a shot at college phenom Jahlil Okafor. The long/short of it is, Phil Jackson has spent his first year on the job putting the Knicks into a position they've never been in before. That's why this season was a wash from the start and the writers and radio talking heads (and fans who flock to them like seagulls to a garbage dump) should know this.
  Furthermore, the sports media-fueled notion that no free agent will come to the Knicks because they're a bad team is dumb at best because any free agent(s) immediately improves the team.  And, of course, money still talks and the Knicks will have loads of it to offer as well as the lure of Madison Square Garden, New York City, all the publicity and fame as well as endless endorsement and business opportunities that no other city can match. 

  But here's the key. When free agent season opens in July Jackson won't automatically be going big game hunting. Certainly, he'll be trying to land a big name or two this summer and next but he knows the priority is to fill the roster with the right players, the smart players, the fundamental players, not with as many superstars as the Knicks can afford. Jackson knows as well as any jaded Knick fan that the quick-fix approach has never worked in the 42 years since the Knicks' last championship. His Lakers and Bulls will be the model rosters Jackson will pattern the Knicks after, if possible. Whatever transpires, this summer is when things will start getting very interesting at Madison Square Garden.