Phil Jackson has a lot of work to do if he wants to turn things around for the New York Knicks in the coming years, and he is apparently working so hard that he can’t even manage to stay awake on the job.
While speaking with Bob Ley on “Outside the Lines” Thursday, ESPN’s Jay Williams said he was told by a top-15 NBA prospect that Jackson was “falling in and out of sleep” when the player worked out for the Knicks.
That’s … troubling.
Jackson has won 11 NBA championships as a player and coach, so he often gets the benefit of the doubt. There’s no questioning his accomplishments, but his first two years as an executive have basically been a disaster. If he’s truly nodding off during pre-draft workouts, perhaps running a team’s basketball operations department isn’t the right job for him.
If you read how soon-to-be free agents reportedly view the Knicks, you get the idea that Jackson is not getting the same respect in his current role that he got when he was a coach.
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