New Knicks president Phil Jackson and owner James Dolan have the chance to clear up a load of unanswered questions at Tuesday’s introductory news conference in the refurbished lobby at the Garden – now known as Chase Square. It’s an appropriately named area as Jackson breaks the bank at $60 million over five years to try to snap the woebegone franchise’s 41-year-old championship drought. Here are a few of the queries they can expect to hear:
Questions for Phil
1. How, with zero experience building NBA rosters, can you become a vibrant and effective team president?
His friends say anything he does, he’ll be good at it, and recruiting free agents has become a big part of the job description. He’ll work with a front-office team in place that includes former Nuggets GM Mark Warkentien and president/GM Steve Mills, who knows all the important agents/GMs. Also, his 13 NBA rings and larger-than-life persona draw a parallel to Pat Riley’s successful move to the front office.
2. The $60 million question: How involved will you be in the day-to-day handling and overseeing of the team, players and coaching staff?
Will he be hands-on with scouting? The best guess is he’ll be more involved next season, when he likely has a new coaching staff in place and some of his players imported to the roster. There is room to influence this locker room.
3. Will you live in Manhattan full-time?
As much as he enjoyed New York when he played here and Woodstock when he coached the Albany Patroons for five seasons, his friends say he hates the cold now and doesn’t want to be away from his fiancée Jeanie Buss too much. Jackson was believed to be seeking a 50-50 living split between New York and Playa del Rey, Calif., but he also has two places in Montana. This looks to be a play-it-by-ear situation.
4. What chance does Mike Woodson have to return as head coach next season?
The good news for Woodson is he and Jackson share Red Holzman as a mentor. The bad news is he has no experience with a triangle offense and this season stands to be one of underachievement – even if the Knicks crack the eighth seed for the playoffs.
5. Do you definitely plan to re-sign free-agent-to-be Carmelo Anthony?
Jackson has criticized Anthony regarding his lack of ball movement. The pre-Phil Knicks were gung ho about re-signing Melo. But he is not in the mold of a Jackson superstar. Anthony is not known to make others better, he’s not considered a natural leader and despite his claim Monday that he’s open to Jackson’s idea of an equal-opportunity offense, historically he’s been a volume shooter. But he’s a magnificent scorer and improving rebounder, and those are hard to come by.
6. Do you view getting under the salary cap to be a top priority?
When Donnie Walsh inherited the club at the end of the 2007-008 season, the stated goal was to duck under the salary cap for the 2010 bonanza free-agent class. Now, the Knicks can clear a wide swath of cap space for 2015, when Kevin Love, Rajon Rondo, LaMarcus Aldridge may be free agents. There’s also 2016, with a guy named Kevin Durant.
7. Do you have any plans to coach the club?
Any answer other than a flat “no” will set off the alarms. His confidants say he’ll need a second knee replacement, ending his coaching days. He’s here to mold a potential new young coach. But would he take the reins in an emergency?
Questions for James Dolan (if Dolan answers questions)
1. The brave soul will ask: Is it now time to back off and let Jackson make the key decisions?
Only Dolan knows. Jackson already worked for an organization in which the owner was omnipresent in the late Jerry Buss. But Buss’ resume of winning with the Lakers was unparalleled. These are two giant egos primed to clash.
2. What is your confidence in re-signing Anthony?
And if Jackson’s recommendation is to let Anthony walk, will you abide by it? When Anthony opts out of his contract this summer, he puts himself in position to reap a max five-year contract from the Knicks worth approximately $129 million, which is one more year and $33 million more than he can get from another team in free agency. Throughout the season, Anthony has said his priority is to be with a title contender.
3. What is your vision for the future of the team?
The old one obviously failed. The Knicks are a mess despite the recent playoff push that could land them the eighth seed. After a 54-win season, this season was supposed to be the championship climax of a six-year plan that began with the demolishing of the 2008-2009 team for cap space. What went wrong? Now he is throwing $60 million at a Hall of Fame coach with no front-office experience, clearly believing Jackson can recruit top free agents.