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So, uh, if you are inclined to believe this:
We've got breaking news on @PhilJackson11! He will be joining the @NYKnicks front office. Tune in to @NBATV now.
— NBA TV (@NBATV) March 13, 2014
.@nyknicks it's official @PhilJackson11 will be joining the Knicks! This move will go a long way in revamping the culture of this franchise!
— Greg Anthony (@GregAnthony50) March 13, 2014
You heard It here fnirst. pic.twitter.com/ca28NePvcR
— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) March 13, 2014
...then Phil Jackson is joining the Knicks front office? They're saying "official". I don't want to say "official" until I hear of ink on paper and see an actual press conference, but...there's that.
If this report is accurate, it still leaves us without a lucid idea of what Jackson's title and role will be, but we do have this recent column from Howard Beck, which includes some pretty encouraging sections, and which I was initially posting here before this "news" "broke". According to Beck and his sources, Jackson would want to be "philosopher-in-chief", relocating at least part-time to New York not to do hands-on stuff like working with agents and personnel directly, but to fill the organization with new people-- analytically-minded ones, Beck suggests-- and go from there.
(Interruption: J.R. Smith is now tweeting about this, so...? No. Still no.)
Anyway, the idea is that Jackson would come in and assemble a team to take care of all the front office work. We don't know exactly what that might mean for Steve Mills and the rest of the preexisting front office, but we can probably assume Jackson's presence in any capacity would dilute the pull of CAA, which would be fantastic.
Beck paints an appealing picture. I still have a ton of questions and doubts about this arrangement, but...well, we'll wait until there's actually an arrangement. This is not done. I'll update if there are updates.