Phil Jackson wanted to stay relevant more than do his job

By Nick Ashooh

There really was no other ending we could've expected for Phil Jackson's time with the Knicks. The one-time "basketball genius" used a blindingly dysfuctional organization as his personal propaganda machine to help create an illusion that his past was still relevant in the present. 

Guess what Phil, The Triangle is dead. 

Now he can go wander around Malibu mumbling about "the good ol days" on his own time.

It's amazing that one of the greatest assets Jackson possesed as a coach, became his biggest weaknesses and eventual downfall in New York. His ability to find common ground with players, even the biggest divas, seemed to disappear when he took that massive $12 million a year contract from James Dolan.

It turns out all he really wanted was a highly paid hobby, experimenting with an organization and fan base so desperate just for stability. 

No, this won't effect Jackson's legacy. It'll be overlooked and swept under the rug just like Michael Jordan's time with the Wizards. Phil was just too damn successful as a coach to have that tainted. 

But it will show us the depth of his ego. Even the "Zen Master" himself fell victim to his own press, along with his fear of the game passing him by. 

One thing we should all learn from the failed Phil Era in New York, if you're unwilling to adapt to change, even the most successful people eventually get left behind, and there's no amount of meditation that can fix it.