Knicks part ways with Phil Jackson, reportedly eyeing Raptors' Ujiri
Legendary coach oversaw one of the worst eras in team history
Phil Jackson and the New York Knicks parted ways on Wednesday after he oversaw one of the worst eras in team history and feuded with star Carmelo Anthony.
Furthermore, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported that Knicks owner James Dolan is targeting Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri as Jackson's replacement.
Knicks owner James Dolan is targeting Toronto's Masai Ujiri to replace Phil Jackson as N.Y.'s President, league sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheVertical">@TheVertical</a>.
—@WojVerticalNBALater Wednesday, the Raptors released a statement announcing that Bobby Webster has been promoted to general manager and that Ujiri will continue in his current role. Webster, 32, becomes the youngest general manager in the league.
Toronto also announced that Keith Boyarsky will be bumped up to vice-president of basketball strategy and research while Dan Tolzman moves up to assistant general manager and VP of player personnel.
"We are excited to promote Bobby, Dan and Keith for their hard work and important contributions to our program," Ujiri said in a statement. "They have been invaluable across many aspects of the franchise, making decisions on our salary management, key input on scouting, analytics, strategy, player personnel and team building that has helped us develop a winning culture throughout our organization."
The Raptors' general manager position opened up in May when Jeff Weltman left to become president of basketball operations with the Orlando Magic.
As for the Knicks, the decision to part ways with their team president was mutual.
"After careful thought and consideration, we mutually agreed that the Knicks will be going in a different direction," Dolan said in a statement. "Phil Jackson is one of the most celebrated and successful individuals in the history of the NBA. His legacy in the game of basketball is unmatched."
First-time executive struggled running Knicks
Still, his work as a first-time executive was awful. The winner of an NBA-record 11 championships as coach, Jackson couldn't engineer one playoff berth while running the Knicks. The team was 80-166 in his three full seasons, including a franchise-worst 17-65 in 2014-15.
The move comes less than a week after Jackson led the Knicks through the NBA draft and on the eve of free agency that opens Saturday. Dolan said he would not be involved in the operation of the team, adding that general manager Steve Mills would run the day-to-day business in the short term and that former Toronto executive Tim Leiweke would advise him and help develop a plan going forward.
Jackson was a Hall of Fame coach with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, delivering titles with some of the game's biggest stars like Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. He also was part of the Knicks when they won NBA titles in 1970 and 1973.
He was welcomed back to the organization to huge fanfare in March 2014, but it soon became clear the transition would be a poor one. His first coaching hire, Derek Fisher, lasted just 1 ½ seasons, and Jackson's trades and free agency moves also failed to improve the club.
"I had hoped, of course, to bring another NBA championship to the Garden. As someone who treasures winning, I am deeply disappointed that we weren't able to do that," Jackson said. "New York fans deserve nothing less. I wish them and the Knicks organization all the best — today and always."
With files from CBC Sports and The Canadian Press