Phil Jackson's tenure as the president of the New York Knicks has been tenuous so far. The team took major strides from last year's horrific product, but many fans are questioning Jackson's leadership and handling of the coaching situation.
One of the primary concerns that people have is that Jackson isn't open enough to coaches without experience with his triangle offense, and some of those arguments ended up questioning the triangle itself.
Not a smart move.
During the Knicks' exit interviews on Thursday, Jackson was asked if the triangle will remain as a core part of New York's system. He seemed offended that there was any question.
“That's what I was brought here for,” said Jackson. “Who are these people? Do they have 11 championships?”
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Jackson, who is usually fairly patient with the media, seemed to reach a boiling point. The inertia of all of the pressure and doubts started to pile up, and the Zen Master had enough of it.
Phil Jackson may or may not have been really pissed at the media. It's hard to tell after a 17-minute interview he abruptly cut off.
— Stefan Bondy (@SBondyNYDN) April 14, 2016
Yes, Jackson did have Michael Jordan when he won six titles in Chicago, then Kobe Bryant (and Shaquille O'Neal for the first three) for his five championships with the Lakers.
Still, winning a championship is no simple task. For years, LeBron James was the best player in the NBA (Stephen Curry has brought that into question more lately), and while he did eventually win a pair of titles with the Heat, it was a pretty large struggle to finally get there.
Winning one title is great, but Jackson's ability to earn a trio of 3-peats as well as back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 is incredible. Inspiring the drive to repeat is nothing to take likely, and for Jackson, the triangle was an integral part of the process. It's what brought him 11 rings, and he's not going to stop defending it.
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