5-28 record .. Was this Phil Jackson Plan .. Tanking?

The Knicks has a 5-28 record (1 game) before the 2015 New Year.
Last season the Knicks were 11-22 in their first 33 games.
Is the famous Zen of basketball taking the Knicks forward or backwards?

Did Phil know or have a clue of the outcome of his offseason moves?
Phil had to be aware of outcome when he added five D.League players to Knicks 2014-15 roster in offseason
1) Larkin
2) Early
3) Wear
4) Acy
5) Jason Smith
The Knicks already had two D. League players on the roster under contract
6) Cole Aldrige
7) Tim Hardaway Jr.
Plus the Knicks had a 2 year contract of inconsistent delusional-player
8) J.R. Smith

The other 7 veteran players on the roster were able to keep the Knicks at a .450 record
with a decent head coach getting the 7 players on the same-page as Starters & Finishers
PG-Calderon & Prigioni
SG-Shump
SF-Melo
PF-Amare & Barg
C-Dalembert

Rookie head coach Fisher, and his coaching staff coach to lose every game at the start of the season with a poor defensive strategy, and poor substitution throughout each game.
Fisher never put a main veteran lineup on the court for players to start trusting each other to create a same-page chemistry so the 8 D.League players could follow suit. Fisher gave players spot-minute playing time in his 11 man rotation a game. Fisher never stuck with a veteran line-up to complete the triangle-system as opener/closer so the 8 D.League players could trust in Fishers coaching philosophy.

Phil has a $60M contract
Fisher has a $40M contract
And no NBA player want to be traded to the Phil/Fisher 5-28 Knicks in the month of December 2014.
So far the Phil/Fisher investment stock has dropped tremendously

If PJ did this on purpose to get us a top lottery pick without looking like we are tanking, then bam, first guy who should ever win GM of the year for putting together a terrible team.

I don't think this was the zen-masters plan to win 10-15-20 games... yes it will get us a top pick... but good luck trying to get a top FA to sign here... maybe he has a 'master' plan ... sure hope so

I don't think anyone thought the Knicks would be this bad. I think it's only a coincidence that we've got a draft pick back this year. The goal early on was to make the playoffs. Still, the summer will be interesting with free agency and the lottery. We've got to remember though that the only hand picked player on this roster of Phil's is Carmelo. Next season we'll have an entirely new team.

donchris said:

IWe've got to remember though that the only hand picked player on this roster of Phil's is Carmelo. Next season we'll have an entirely new team.

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well I'd say Sammy n jose are his picks toooo... he traded for them...

this article talks the tank:
http://www.sportsgrid.com/nba/knick...ffseason-phil-jackson-is-victor-frankenstein/

Of course Jax and the FO are tanking. If Phil admitted the truth he would be under a lot of scrutiny.

knicksin60 said:

Of course Jax and the FO are tanking. If Phil admitted the truth he would be under a lot of scrutiny.

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Isola says it best .....

Yep everyone hates Isola. He's just a LONG WINDED HATER. Just out there to hate.
Which is speak these days for "My favorite team sucks but I will still pretend otherwise." by the self proclaimed "die hard fans".
Well, the man nails it.

Phil Jackson needs to fix Knicks and not worry about legacy - and he needs Carmelo Anthony's help

There must be days when James Dolan, the billionaire blues singer, wants to smash his guitar into pieces when he reads the newspaper. And it has nothing to do with the stock market or the NBA standings but everything to do with two of his highest-paid employees.

Phil Jackson was recently quoted saying that his ?experiment? has been a failure. The Knicks president could have easily called it an epic failure, a complete disaster or a monumental bust, but you get the point.

Other than stating the absolute obvious, Jackson using the term ?experiment? to describe his rookie season as a basketball executive must be comforting to Dolan, who is paying the mad scientist $60 million to win titles, not to use the Knicks as crash test dummies.

And then there is Carmelo Anthony, the newly minted $124 million man who is a sweet guy but whose season has been, as they say on The Sopranos ?a little wackadoo.?

From his meeting with a branding expert where they discussed turning Melo into a ?cultural icon, a taste maker? to his funky postgame hats and his made-for-MSG Network documentary about free agency during which Anthony extolled the virtues of the Chicago Bulls, his season has been as odd as Walt Frazier?s wardrobe.

Following Tuesday?s uninspiring home loss to the not-to-be-confused-with-the-Bird/Parish/McHale Boston Celtics, Anthony claimed that fatigue is a factor. In many ways, that is just as disturbing as Jackson?s failed-experiment line. For the record, the Knicks have played 49 games. Melo has played just 38.

What on Earth would have Anthony so fatigued: too much food on Super Bowl Sunday?

If your franchise player is citing fatigue in February following a season that ended in April, you?ve got problems. Or do you think Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan ever used the ?I?m wiped out? excuse 10 days before the All-Star break?

While Knicks fans have fallen in love with Langston Galloway?s story and are excited about Lance Thomas, the two men Dolan signed to lead the franchise back to respectability are Jackson and Anthony. The NBA is still a star-driven league, but in the Knicks? case, we're getting a lot of star drivel.

This has been a rude awakening for Jackson, who is not accustomed to failure and is clearly not taking it well. According to a source, Jackson skipped several league events that he was scheduled to attend during the Knicks? trip to London, choosing instead to keep a low profile.

It was during that same trip that Jackson, according to a Milwaukee Bucks official, confronted Kenyon Martin to ask him about seemingly innocuous comments the veteran forward made a day earlier about the Knicks not being interested in signing him.

Jackson apparently did not appreciate the idea that he was slow to act on Martin, especially in light of the Knicks failing to land Pau Gasol last summer and just a few weeks after Jackson dumped J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert for a 2019 second-round pick. If you thought the Smith and Shumpert deal seemed a bit one-sided, you?re right. The next day Cleveland traded two No. 1 picks to Denver for center Timofey Mozgov. Jackson could not have been happy about that.

Perhaps most troubling of all is Jackson?s continued defiance/stubbornness when it comes to proving that the triangle offense can work without guys named Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant running it.

For starters, Jackson?s championship teams in Chicago and Los Angeles were exceptional defensively. Yet, in New York all Jackson talks about is offense. And just because Jackson is married to that system, why must Derek Fisher? Jackson?s first choice to coach the Knicks was Steve Kerr, who currently owns the best record in the NBA and doesn't run the triangle.

Jackson is downright sensitive to any opposing view. During the preseason, Jackson?s longtime nemesis, Jeff Van Gundy, threw Fisher a bone by saying talent wins, not a system. JVG was making it clear that you shouldn?t expect too much from Fisher until he gets players.

Of course, Jackson and his hired media gun, Charley Rosen, weren?t shrewd enough to realize that Van Gundy, who clearly understands the Knicks? talent or lack thereof better than Jackson, was giving a rookie head coach a soft landing spot.

Instead, they hit JVG over the head with Jackson?s 11-rings manifesto, thus leaving poor Fisher exposed.

OK boys, so if it is really about the system and not the talent, why are the Knicks 10-39?

That question was never answered during Jackson's latest MSG-approved sit-down, which evolved into a defense of Jackson as a brilliant head coach. Again.

Yes, Jackson was a great coach. He?s got the rings to prove it.

But again, he?s not coaching the Knicks. He?s a rookie GM trying to build a team. Year One has been a bust. It doesn?t mean Jackson can't salvage this mess.

But Jackson needs to worry less about convincing us that once upon a time he was a great coach. His job now is to get his hands dirty, get back in the lab and find a solution.

That?s why Dolan is paying him the big bucks.

<His job now is to get his hands dirty, get back in the lab and find a solution.>

stupid obvious article by A$$ola, paid to blather inane opine.

Jackson came in to this team situation to suss out the winners and losers on and off the court. whether it was a loser mentality or a bad influence in the locker room, Jackson busted a move with Chandler/Felton, and then watched the rest of the cards he was dealt absolutely implode on unprecedented losing streaks.

he realized this team was not going to the playoffs, Melo was not 100%, so why bother continuing the struggle? How many times have Knicks fans said BLOW UP THE TEAM? this is exactly what PJ did, and he's already changed the loser mentality to a team that competes every game with the acquisitions of the 3 L's, and the salary cap space he's created.

now it's a matter of wait and see what the zen master, lord of the rings has up his magical sleeve.

It's less than 2 weeks til NBA trade deadline. a lot usually happens around all star break. the end of STAT/SHAT? one of the highest paid players in the game who has a time limit on the court, and can't play every game? this is something PJ has been dealing with, and next year, won't have to. Next year will be his team to mold into a contender. he still has trade exceptions from the JR/Shump deal, a first round pick, and LOTS OF MONEY TO SPEND!

what other GM created this situation for himself after 1 season? Donnie Walsh to an extent, but his power was usurped by the James Colon, and PJ supposedly has autonomy to do the right thing. How many GM's have endured a sh*t season in order to rebuild? LOTS! and yet, the NY media, who have deadlines to write whatever pops into their biased heads, keep coming up with the same article, rehash and expounding on "failure" and "experiment".

and the tank rolls on.

CoolClyde;288043Jackson came in to this team situation to suss out the winners and losers on and off the court. whether it was a loser mentality or a bad influence in the locker room said:

http://testpress.net/obg/philstank_ani_sm.gif[/IMG]

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1st off I agree u gotta give the zen-master more time... but he made the chandler trade, n did say well after the trade we will be a playoff team... and by the time everyone realized Me-Lo was not 100%, we were well into the season/losing streak (s)... so his perception was a 'tad-off'... whats done is done... but if he had kept chandler, I bet ya the cav's would have blown him, and given us the 2 1rounders (or however that trade shakes out) they gave the nuggets for that no-talent ruskie Moscow... but as stated I give him the benefit of the doubt... this year... next year its phils team... no excuses...

CoolClyde said:

<His job now is to get his hands dirty, get back in the lab and find a solution.>

stupid obvious article by A$$ola, paid to blather inane opine.

Jackson came in to this team situation to suss out the winners and losers on and off the court. whether it was a loser mentality or a bad influence in the locker room, Jackson busted a move with Chandler/Felton, and then watched the rest of the cards he was dealt absolutely implode on unprecedented losing streaks.

he realized this team was not going to the playoffs, Melo was not 100%, so why bother continuing the struggle? How many times have Knicks fans said BLOW UP THE TEAM? this is exactly what PJ did, and he's already changed the loser mentality to a team that competes every game with the acquisitions of the 3 L's, and the salary cap space he's created.

now it's a matter of wait and see what the zen master, lord of the rings has up his magical sleeve.

It's less than 2 weeks til NBA trade deadline. a lot usually happens around all star break. the end of STAT/SHAT? one of the highest paid players in the game who has a time limit on the court, and can't play every game? this is something PJ has been dealing with, and next year, won't have to. Next year will be his team to mold into a contender. he still has trade exceptions from the JR/Shump deal, a first round pick, and LOTS OF MONEY TO SPEND!

what other GM created this situation for himself after 1 season? Donnie Walsh to an extent, but his power was usurped by the James Colon, and PJ supposedly has autonomy to do the right thing. How many GM's have endured a sh*t season in order to rebuild? LOTS! and yet, the NY media, who have deadlines to write whatever pops into their biased heads, keep coming up with the same article, rehash and expounding on "failure" and "experiment".

and the tank rolls on.

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Stop acting like Phil Jax is knew to this ..
We are talking about the famous ZEN who has over 40 years experience in the NBA.
Last season Phil were sitting in MSG watching the Knicks when our record was 21-40.
Phil had the Knicks final 21 games to evaluate the entire Knicks roster capabilities at end of season.
The Knicks had several players to trade for future first round draft picks throughout the 2014 offseason.
Especially, when the Knick TANKING-MODE during training-camp.
Phil knew during the trading deadline last season that 99% of the NBA players did not want to be traded to the ball-hogger Melo Knicks.
So to trade any Knicks player in the offseason (Tyson Chandler) the trade must involve the Knicks receiving a draft pick.
Last season the Mavs barely made the 8th seed for the playoff by having 1 win more than the Suns.
The Mavs were desperate for Tyson Chandler at the end of last season.

a few weeks after Jackson dumped J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert for a 2019 second-round pick. If you thought the Smith and Shumpert deal seemed a bit one-sided, you’re right. The next day Cleveland traded two No. 1 picks to Denver for center Timofey Mozgov. Jackson could not have been happy about that.

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Did Phil Jackson bother to ask for a first rounder from Cleveland Cavs? Hell NO!
Phil was to busy explaining how to make Cavs a contender in one season over phone .. makes me aggy
Do Phil know whats needed to build a contender around elite player Lebron James? HELL YEAH!
Since the Knicks/Cavs trade the 19-20 Cavs went on a 13-4 run, with a 12 game win streak (Lebron was out 2 of those losses).
Cavs Fans need to thank Phil Jackson for their success this season.

^do you mean, PJ is new to this, or he knew this? he knew JR, Jose and Iman would be injured to start the season? he's got some type of cosmic crystal ball that could predict a disastrous start to the season?

Seeing what a total dick JR was, PJ knew he had to get rid of him, and Iman had to go as well to make it happen. he got a couple trade exceptions out of the deal, time will tell what he does with them, that time is closing in as trade deadline approaches. please keep your seething rage of Melo, and unfettered name calling of PJ to a minimum until this season closes out.

he got Jose, a better PG than Felton out of the Chandler trade, along with a couple 2nd round picks that he did well with. getting rid of Felton was key.

can you really say the tank was in effect before the season started? i guess you can, you're the genius around here.

CoolClyde said:

^do you mean, PJ is new to this, or he knew this? he knew JR, Jose and Iman would be injured to start the season? he's got some type of cosmic crystal ball that could predict a disastrous start to the season?

Seeing what a total dick JR was, PJ knew he had to get rid of him, and Iman had to go as well to make it happen. he got a couple trade exceptions out of the deal, time will tell what he does with them, that time is closing in as trade deadline approaches. please keep your seething rage of Melo, and unfettered name calling of PJ to a minimum until this season closes out.

he got Jose, a better PG than Felton out of the Chandler trade, along with a couple 2nd round picks that he did well with. getting rid of Felton was key.

can you really say the tank was in effect before the season started? i guess you can, you're the genius around here.

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REALLY .....
What didn't Phil Jax know about the Knicks before he took the job?

We all knew JR.Smith & Felton had to be traded at the end of season ....
JR consistent foolish actions made him the first player Phil should trade when season ended.

Jose has never performed better than Felton in the NBA.
In 2008-9 season it was not hard to list all the lame starting PG in the eastern conference, especially when a rookie PG-Rose, and 3rd season PG-Rondo embarrassed each of these lame starter PG throughout the season .. Jose, Felton, Duhon, Nelson, Bibby, Harris, Sessions, Arenas, and Mo Williams.
If u dont recall the 2008-9 season, then recall the 2009 draft-class of 9 guards selected in the top 12 picks.


The Cavs gave 2 first round picks for Timofey Mozgov .. does that make Tyson Chandler worth 4 first round picks?
OKC gave a first round pick for Waiters .. does that make Shumpert worth 2 first round picks?