SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Knicks president Phil Jackson didn’t waste time before ruffling feathers. In remarks that were un-Zen-like, Jackson made no bones about his dislike for the roster, or in his belief this playoff push will have a happy ending.
“We’re in a talent hunt,” Jackson said to a New York Times reporter on his way out of Staples Center after the Knicks were humiliated by the Lakers 127-96. “We have to bring in talent.’’
It was unclear if Jackson was referring to better players or talent evaluators, considering the question related to hiring new front-office personnel. But the message was exact. Jackson called the Knicks’ roster “clumsy’’ before the 2012-13 season, and it appears nothing has changed in his mind.
The remark seemed ill-timed, certainly not a motivating remark as the Knicks still try to make a push for the playoffs as they faced the Kings Wednesday.
Before the Knicks’ 107-99 bounce-back win over the Kings, coach Mike Woodson defended his team, but did not rip Jackson.
Woodson said he’s aware Jackson is here to revamp after the season but also has said repeatedly he felt he had enough talent with which to win.
“Hey, Phil’s not going to sit idle,” Woodson said. “I’m sure after the season’s over with, he’s trying to put his stamp on things, he’s going to try to go out and fill the best talent that he can.
“That’s what it’s all about when you’re trying to build a team. But again, I’ve coached some of the guys for the last two years, I like the makeup of some of our guys. I would never kick them to the curb because they’ve been good to me.’’
Woodson said he didn’t speak to Jackson Wednesday about the Lakers’ disaster.
“This year, it’s just been a tough year for all of us,’’ Woodson said. “Coming into this year thinking that the core group is going to be the core group, and the core group is beat up and been on a roller-coaster ride. So we just got to sit together, and this is not the time to go the other way. You can’t do that. I would never do that as a coach.’’
Woodson’s Knicks picked the wrong time and wrong place to set futility records. The Lakers’ 51 points in the third quarter was a record for both franchises.
“It was awful, huh,’’ Jackson told the reporter.
Even if Jackson was hidden in a suite and the Staples Center crowd didn’t know he was in the building, this loss had to sting the Zen Master. The Lakers drained 18-of-28 3-pointers, anonymous reserves such as Xavier Henry and Kent Bazemore turning into world-beaters.
“Fifty-one points,” Jackson said. “When it’s 35 points [in a quarter], you start to get worried. When it’s a 51-point quarter, that’s really awful.’’
Jackson pointed out the Knicks had a hangover from Sunday’s stunning loss to Cleveland that snapped their winning streak and referred to the players as having lost postseason hope.
“This is just residual depression from losing a game that they were up by 17 points on Sunday,” said Jackson, who is expected to be in New York for the Knicks’ return against Brooklyn on April 2. “It kind of took their hopes away from being in the playoffs.”
That Jackson referred to it as “their hopes’’ and not “our hopes’’ was very telling. During his press conference eight days ago, Jackson gave lip service to the Knicks’ recent playoff drive. This isn’t his team, and he has no investment in them making the playoffs. His job was to change the culture and build a title contender. A big finish could just muddy the waters, even if no lottery pick comes attached.
Dolan and general manager Steve Mills already have concluded this isn’t the right mix, no matter the recent winning streak that topped out at eight games last week.
Jackson has a lot of work to do, especially finding more leaders. Quasi-captain, center Tyson Chandler, in a miserable mood in the visitor’s locker room after the Lakers game, made an interesting remark.
Chandler said it’s too late in the season for team meetings. He sounded as if he was throwing in the towel. Just a few weeks ago, he also wondered about his future.
Jackson attended the morning shootaround at Staples Center and watched from a seat with Mills and assistant GM Allan Houston. He didn’t address the players — except for a brief chat with Carmelo Anthony in the locker room.
Jackson didn’t travel to Wednesday’s must-win against the Kings with the Knicks trailing Atlanta by 2¹/₂ games entering the night. Jackson won’t join them for the remainder of the five-game Western trip. He has seen enough.