It’s looking more and more as if Phil Jackson won’t be sticking around New York for very much longer
Back in March of 2014 when Phil Jackson signed a five-year contract with the New York Knicks, there was so much intrigue surrounding the Zen Master running one of the more notable organizations in all of sports. However, for as many people there were that showed optimism, there were just as many –if not more– folks that were taking the stance along the lines of, “This will be a disaster, and it won’t last all that long.”
Well, the latter group may be the ones correct in the end.
According to a report from Sportsnet, Jackson is ready to get out of his deal with the Knicks, and of course, he’d love nothing more than to return to a familiar place — the Los Angeles Lakers.
"A little nosing around NBA circles adds some important elements of subtext.One is that Jackson badly wants out of New York, preferring to return back to Los Angeles to be near his fiancee, Lakers scion Jeanie Buss. Jackson is believed to have an out in his Knicks deal that could free him up to do just that at the end of next season unless things between him and Dolan become untenable before that."
This isn’t the first that we’ve heard of this possibility, but the more we hear of it, the more it seems likely that it will ultimately become a reality.
For the most part, the Jackson era in New York just hasn’t worked as well as some had thought it would. They’ve won just 49 games over the past two seasons and their head coaching situation isn’t exactly the most stable at the moment. There’s questions every now and then as to whether or not Carmelo Anthony even wants to stay with the team, with some believing he’s ready to pull the trigger on his no-trade clause for the right fit.
Jackson coached the Lakers from 1999 to 2004, and then again from 2005-11. And as referenced above, his longtime girlfriend is Lakers executive Jeanie Buss, so with the Knicks project not working out as originally planned, you can see why he’d like to go back to a place where he feels more comfortable.
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