Saturday, March 15, 2014

finally Phil Jackson

has come back to New York.

NEW YORK » Phil Jackson, who won 11 NBA championships as a coach and is one of the league's most admired figures, has agreed to return to the New York Knicks to head the team's front office.

The Knicks are scheduled to hold a news conference Tuesday to announce his appointment as the team's new president, according to a person in the NBA familiar with the discussions. A Knicks spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.

Jackson, 68, who was a part of the Knicks' championship era as a player in the early 1970s, has unrivaled credentials as a coach: six titles with the Chicago Bulls and five more with the Los Angeles Lakers. He has the highest winning percentage for a coach in league history (.705), along with the most playoff victories (229). He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.

But he has never held a position in a front office, let alone run one, and his first project is a doozy: resuscitate the Knicks after years of mismanagement.

Despite having the league's second-highest payroll, the Knicks have labored to a 26-40 record ahead of Saturday's game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden. Though their current five-game winning streak has kept them in contention for a playoff spot, the Knicks are still in danger of missing out on the postseason for the seventh time in the last 10 years.

*** 4/21/14

New York Knickerbockers President Phil Jackson announced today that the team's coaching staff have been relieved of their duties, effective immediately.

"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Mike Woodson and his entire staff," Jackson said. "The coaches and players on this team had an extremely difficult 2013-14 season, and blame should not be put on one individual. But the time has come for change throughout the franchise as we start the journey to assess and build this team for next season and beyond.

"Everyone in this franchise owes a great deal of gratitude to what Mike and his staff have done. We wish him the best."

In parts of three seasons with the Knicks, Woodson compiled an overall record of 109-79 (.580) that included two consecutive NBA Playoff appearances and an Atlantic Division title -- the team's first in 19 years. On Mar. 19, 2014, he became just the seventh coach in franchise history to reach the century mark in victories. Initially named Knicks interim head coach with 24 games remaining in the 2011-12 season, Woodson completed his ninth season at the helm of an NBA franchise, posting a record of 315-365.

The search for a new coaching staff will begin immediately.

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