Have you heard the one where New York Knicks president Phil Jackson spurns the Big Apple to reunite with the Los Angeles Lakers and his fiance, and team co-owner, Jeanie Buss?
Of course you have.
Well, Buss wants you to know that this conspiracy theory, sensible thought it sounds at times, is complete crap.
As she told ESPN’s Michelle Beadle and Ramona Shelburne, via ESPN.com’s Ian Begley:
“No. To visit, yes … but in terms of basketball, he’s committed to New York for many years,” Buss said Monday on ESPN Radio’s Beadle and Shelburne Show. “He’s building something there. He has a mission, he’s on that journey to get the team back to where he believes it can be and it will be. He’s a former Knick … he loves New York, he loves the fans, he wants to make them proud.
“In terms of the Lakers, we have a front office. They’re putting together a team … they have a vision. I’m excited to see what the future holds for us. So, to answer your question … no, there’s no plans for Phil to come back here.”
Jackson, truth be told, never should have been considered a flight risk just because of his former ties to the Lakers. He has, by all appearances, been given carte blanche from Knicks owner James Dolan, and there’s no way he wants to leave an unfinished product behind in New York, one that would risk tarnishing his legacy to some degree, even it’s a slight one.
If things turn sour between Jackson and the Knicks, then maybe it becomes a possibility. But those who view Jeff Hornacek’s hiring as a sign that things are unraveling behind the scenes in New York are grasping at straws.
Maybe Dolan intervened, preventing Jackson from choosing Kurt Rambis. Or maybe Jackson bent to public perception, knowing that the players, like the media and fans, wouldn’t respect Rambis.
Either way, it’s clear that Jackson has, at least for the most part, been operating under his own volition in New York. There is no real reason to leave unless Dolan starts pulling strings Jackson doesn’t want attached.
