Fansided

5 replacements for Phil Jackson as New York Knicks president

By Brad Berreman

Apr 6, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson watches during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 6, 2017; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks general manager Phil Jackson watches during the second quarter against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-Getty Images
Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-Getty Images /

2. Masai Ujiri

Upon news of Jackson’s departure ESPN’s Ian Begley first pointed out Dolan is a fan of Ujiri, who is currently president of the Toronto Raptors. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical has backed that up, with his own report Dolan will target Ujiri in the search for a new Knicks’ president.

Ujiri has been with the Raptors in his current job since 2013. Before that he served as executive vice president for the Denver Nuggets, winning NBA Executive of the Year in 2013. He got his start as a scout, so he comes with the kind of credibility on that front that Dolan should be targeting. to replace Jackson.

Ujiri just signed a contract extension with the Raptors a year ago, so he has job security in Toronto and may have little interest in leaving anytime soon. But there is probably still some brand-name appeal to working for the Knicks, with the idea of being the guy that engineers a rebuild back to on-court relevance and possibly a championship.

ESPN’s Marc Stein has reported former Raptors’ executive Tim Leiweke is stepping in as an advisor for the Knicks after Jackson’s departure. That seems to automatically make him a candidate to become team president, but Dolan should have his eye on Ujiri until the interest is proven to not be mutual.

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