New York Knicks: Time to cut ties with the Phil Jackson regime

Find a new team president

Steve Mills was the general manager under Phil Jackson and remains with the team in the same capacity. Mills was hired months before Phil and had a previous stint with Madison Square Garden. However, almost his entire team management experience was under Phil Jackson.

Under Mills’ watch this offseason, the Knicks have failed to sign the veteran point guard they sorely need. George Hill, Darren Collison and Jeff Teague were guards who could have made an immediate impact for the Knicks. However, each player came and went without any recognizable effort from Knicks management.

The only way for the New York Knicks to separate themselves from Phil Jackson…is to separate themselves from Phil Jackson. To accomplish this task, Steve Mills has to go. This version of the Knicks needs a respected, experienced and successful team president as soon as possible.

Phil Jackson casts a large shadow of influence throughout the New York Knicks from the sheer power of the position he held. This front office change must also include the removal of Clarence Gaines Jr., simply due to his connection with Phil. A new culture cannot flourish when strains of the former bacteria remain in the system.

Managers manage, coaches coach and players play. On each level, those involved bear responsibility to make the organization better. However, as long as a Phil Jackson holdover sits on the Knicks bench, true change will be impossible.