It’s All Phil All The Time in New York these days. No Knicks story can be written without a reference – or more – to Phil Jackson’s imminent ascension as the new Czar of MSG. Jackson, as is his wont, is playing it every so coy and cagey, relishing in the mystery of it all. He knows what he’s doing, right? (OK, he’s getting $12 million, so he got that part right.) But this whole thing runs counter to Jackson’s usual M.O., which
We now have ESPN.com reporting that all the pieces are in place for Phil Jackson to take over the front office for the New York Knicks, which means there is a 50 percent chance it will happen. But let’s go ahead and suppose the Worldwide Leader got one right – even though the highly respected Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports is urging caution, saying things aren’t anywhere near done. Charley Rosen hinted at the same thing on this site 2 days
Phil Jackson can run the New York Knicks if he wants to. That is the word on the street this morning, although he will NOT become their next head coach. For insight into the reasons why, check out this column from Charley Rosen. But if he accepts the job, he is going to have his work cutout for him. Although the Knicks have won three straight games and are still in contention for a playoff spot in the East, they still
Carmelo Anthony has 30 million reasons to remain with the New York Knicks after he becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer. But if the Knicks don’t have his word that he’ll re-sign with them for five years at a max salary, can they afford to take the risk that he might leave? That is the question owner Jim Dolan and his tight-lipped lieutenants are asking themselves as New York struggles through the first half of the season, entering tonight’s game against
Today is the day when the floodgates open and a whole bunch of NBA players can theoretically start changing addresses and re-assessing their prospects. Basically, just about any player in the league can now be traded, as Dec. 15 is the date when players who signed over the summer can be shipped elsewhere. There will be umpteen trade stories over the next two months, leading up to the actual deadline in February. A fraction of them will have any truth. Already we’ve seen
Pity poor Paul Allen. He only came in at No. 20 on the Forbes list of the 400 Richest Americans. But at least he’ll have something to hold over the heads of the other owners when they convene next month for the Board of Governors meeting in New York (then again, Allen– worth 15 billion– may not attend. He usually sends someone in his place). The only owner who can flex muscles with him is Mikhail Prokhorov of the Brooklyn Nets, with $13.2
NEW YORK — Since Mikhail Prokhorov and Jay-Z became the faces of the Brooklyn Nets, the objectives of their mission have been made abundantly clear: Become relevant, move to Brooklyn, be better than the Knicks, steal the market. General manager Billy King made the deals and Prokhorov wrote the checks. The Nets embarked on an unprecedented spending spree this past summer and not only retained Deron Williams, but also surround him with some capable talent. Clearly, they are relevant. And yes, they are
// The New York Knicks have until midnight ET Tuesday to determine whether Jeremy Lin’s offer sheet from the Houston Rockets is, well, Linsane. The Rockets have offered Lin $25 million over three years. An average salary of $8.3 million is a bit exorbitant for a player with a two-month resume. But when that deal contains a final year of nearly $15 million with huge luxury tax implications, it may even be too steep for Knicks owner Jim Dolan. I discussed the