Knicks To Hold Press Conference Tuesday To Make 'Major Announcement'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Knicks announced on Friday that they will hold a press conference on Tuesday at 11 a.m. to make a "major announcement."
The press conference is presumably to introduce Phil Jackson as the newest member of the Knicks' front office. What his position will be is not yet known, thought reports have suggested that he'll be named director of basketball operations.
The New York Daily News said in Friday's paper that a contract netting the Zen Master around $15 million per year "is expected to be finalized within days," meaning it isn't official -- yet. But there is an agreement in principle between the 68-year-old and the Knicks, according to multiple reports.
There was also a thought that Jackson, who won 11 NBA titles coaching the Bulls and Lakers, might just be playing Dolan to force himself into a job in Los Angeles. But Lakers vice president Jim Buss "has little interest" in reuniting with the Zen Master, according to the Daily News, despite the wants of Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant.
Jackson is engaged to Jim Buss' sister, Lakers president Jeanie Buss.
The Tuesday announcement will likely take some, if not all, of the steam out of Wednesday's fan-organized protest at MSG.
During a radio interview Thursday, Knicks coach Mike Woodson said he'd like a chance to sit down and talk basketball with Jackson. But as the head of basketball operations, Jackson will likely want to pick his own coach, and his former player, Steve Kerr, has already been speculatively linked to the job.
"This is the misnomer about Phil. People know he's got all these other interests," Kerr told CBS 2's Otis Livingston on Tuesday. "Phil is all about the game. He's all about basketball."
Jackson currently splits time between his Montana ranch and Marina Del Rey, Calif., where he lives with Buss. One of the big questions is whether he'll stay in New York during the season.
The Knicks won their fifth straight game Wednesday night, improving to 26-40 and staying in the conversation for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
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