Phil Jackson Had No Interest In Coaching ‘Clumsy’ Knicks

In an interview to air on HBO’s Real Sports Tuesday night, Phil Jackson denies ever having any interest in coaching the Knicks, dismissing the possibility because New York’s roster is “clumsy” (via NY Daily News): “’I wasn’t gonna take that job, that’s for sure,’ said Jackson, who won two NBA titles while playing for the Knicks from 1967 to 1978. Jackson suggested he had given a good deal of thought to coaching the Knicks — ‘New York is special,’ he says — but he dismissed the possibility of returning to Madison Square Garden because the current team is ‘clumsy.’ ‘What’s clumsy mean?’ Kremer asked. “Well, they don’t fit together well. (Amare) Stoudemire doesn’t fit well with Carmelo. Stoudemire’s a really good player. But he’s gotta play in a certain system and a way. ‘Carmelo has to be a better passer. And the ball can’t stop every time it hits his hands,’ Jackson continued. ‘They need to have someone come in that can kinda blend that group together.’ ‘But wouldn’t you have been the perfect person to come in and blend all that talent together?’ Kremer said. ‘You sort of have a good history of that.’ ‘Yeah,’ Jackson agreed. ‘Well, it never happened.'”