Jackson looks set to take bite of Big Apple

Coaching legend expected to head Knicks' executive staff

Phil Jackson won NBA titles as a player and a coach. Now he'll try winning as an executive with the New York Knicks.

And this quest will take him back to where his career began.

An insider speaking on condition of anonymity said on Sunday the move was imminent, but the Knicks would only confirm that a "major announcement" involving team executives would be made on Tuesday.

Jackson also did not make any immediate public comment, but the move had been expected for several days - and was practically confirmed by Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, who said he had heard the Hall of Fame coach was "coming on board."

Jackson has been courted by clubs before, and fans in Los Angeles clamored for him to return to coaching not long after he left the Lakers after the 2010-11 season.

He's largely shunned the limelight during this three-year break from work, during which he did things such as working on improving his health and writing a book chronicling his basketball life.

Jackson played his first 10 NBA seasons with the Knicks - he was there for 11 actually, missing the 1969-70 championship season because of injury. He was a key part of the 1972-73 team that won the NBA title, topping the Lakers.

New York hasn't won a championship since. Jackson won 11 as a coach - six with the Chicago Bulls and five more with the Lakers.

Jackson's arrival in New York will likely usher in a new era for the Knicks, who might miss the playoffs this season after winning 54 games a year ago. Even NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said earlier this week he wanted to see Jackson back in the game because "the league needs him."

Jackson will have a lot of issues to tackle immediately. The Knicks could lose Anthony this summer through free agency and will likely look to upgrade their roster in several other areas.

With the Bulls, Jackson had Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. With the Lakers, he had Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

With the Knicks, he'll have more questions than answers, at least in the beginning of his first foray into life as an executive. There's also the issue of how much power he'll actually have working for Madison Square Garden chairman James Dolan.

Since the start of the 2004-05 season, the Knicks have gone through six head coaches and won a total of seven playoff games. Starting on Tuesday, it'll apparently be Jackson's job to change all that.

(China Daily 03/17/2014 page24)