The New York Knicks last month finally pulled the trigger on parting ways with team president Phil Jackson after three seasons.

It was a decision that caught Hall of Famer Walt Frazier, who is also the Knicks tv color commentator, completely off guard, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.

 I was shocked when they released him. He gave me an opportunity to go to the draft representing the Knicks. I was hoping I could bring them some luck and we could do better than the eighth pick. But I was telling the kids that I was the first-round draft choice in 1967 and Phil was second round. He was my roommate, we were very close. So I was very disappointed that it didn’t work out for him.

There is a personal bond between the two as they played together with the Knicks that included winning an NBA title. It has created a strong relationship off the court that has been maintained since their playing days.

However, the writing had been on the wall that Jackson's tenure was coming to close shortly. Beyond just the continued losing, he had created a growing rift between himself and the players. He had publicly put Carmelo Anthony on the proverbial island by stating that he should play elsewhere despite him still having two more years left on his contract.

Jackson also saw his relationship with Kristaps Porzingis become undone because of how he treated Anthony, and he even put him on the trade market. There was also the forcing of his triangle offense upon each of the coaches he hired that didn't sit well with the players and often times head coach Jeff Hornacek.

It was a complex matter that the resolution could only be reached by parting ways with the Hall of Famer. There was initially hope that this pairing could work out for the betterment of the franchise, but as time wore on it was clear that it was like fitting a square peg into a round hole.