Phil Jackson remade the New York Knicks this offseason and now he’s calling them out.
Jackson, the sometimes hard-to-understand tweeter, put his thumbs to work recently and publicly challenged his players:
Here’s what: We have brought change to the Knicks team. The real dimension of change is how much the players what to unite in this change
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) July 15, 2016
It’s not about bonding and being friends, it’s about joining in the effort of playing HARD on every effort. #respect
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) July 15, 2016
Interesting. Nine of the 14 players under contract with the Knicks are new faces. There’s Derrick Rose at the point, Courtney Lee at shooting guard and even Joakim Noah underneath the basket. It almost looks like an older version of the Chicago Bulls until one sprinkles in Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis.
It’s an intriguing core sure to compete for the postseason provided the major pieces can stay healthy. That said, it won’t be easy for the Bulls to compete right out of the gates. Teams with such a massive makeover usually need time to develop the necessary chemistry.
The problem with such a fact is New York. After an offseason of hype, the New York media and fans will find themselves disappointed with anything short of perfection right out of the gates. It’s interesting, then, that Jackson has already decided to go public with such comments.
Knowing how bad stars like Anthony and Rose want to win, it won’t fall on deaf ears. But the New York media and fans heard it, too.