As the capricious whirlwind that is the New York Knicks season draws closer to another lottery finish and a premature vacation break for its players and a starved fan base that was expecting a playoff push this year, team president Phil Jackson continues to stir the pot as only he knows how.
What Jackson and “President” Trump seem to have in common are 70-year-old Twitter fingers that are too often used to take digs at others.
The Zen Master did just that on Monday as he took a thinly veiled shot at Carmelo Anthony, who has been at the center of trade speculation for the last month. Finally responding to a column written by Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding, who is a close Jackson associate, Phil noted that he “learned you don’t change a spot on a leopard”.
Bleacher’s Ding almost rings the bell, but I learned you don’t change the spot on a leopard with Michael Graham in my CBA daze.
Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) February 7, 2017
Believing Ding “almost rings the bell” at criticism of Melo’s competitiveness and will to win, Phil is trying some last ditch efforts to exorcise the Knicks of the demon he believes to be Anthony’s ball-stopping ways, despite signing Melo to a lucrative five-year deal just three summers ago.
For those who don’t know about Michael Graham, he was a force of nature at Georgetown back in the day who helped deliver a National Championship before John Thompson kicked him off the team. His off-the-court issues took away from his seemingly amazing potential. Graham played for Jackson in the now-defunct Continental Basketball Association where they once got into some fisticuffs with one another in the middle of a game. Jackson later cut him from the team and later wrote that no matter how he talked to him, Graham was unreachable.
Comparing Melo to Michael Graham, Phil? That’s cold.
Despite the Zen Master’s criticism, Carmelo has remained professional and has not voiced his displeasure with the repeated attempts to assassinate his character or be bullied out of New York.
With the trade deadline approaching, Jackson hopes to ship Melo to either the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers or Los Angeles Clippers, even if he doesn’t receive equal value for the future Hall of Famer.
Stay tuned to the next installment of As The Knicks Turn. Because the soap opera drama gets thicker by the day.
