Phil Jackson vies to save Knicks' culture as team flails

Jeff Zillgitt | USA TODAY Sports

Show Caption Hide Caption Who got best of Knicks-Cavs-Thunder trade? Jeff Zillgitt and Sam Amick debate the blockbuster swap.

Phil Jackson once believed the New York Knicks would be a playoff team this season. Maybe not one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference, but maybe a team capable of 40 victories.

Jackson, in his first full season as Knicks president, didn't expect to set a franchise record with 13 consecutive losses, which happened Wednesday against the Washington Wizards, and he didn't anticipate the Knicks would be in last place in the entire NBA at 5-34 after a 14th loss in a row, this one a 120-96 blowout to the Houston Rockets at home on national TV.

But it only took a few weeks this season for Jackson to realize the Knicks weren't the team he thought he had and that realization resulted in a trade earlier this week with guards J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert going to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The roster purge might not be over either as the Knicks go into full rebuilding mode. No player — except for Anthony and his near-maximum deal — is safe as the Knicks seek more financial flexibility, draft picks (especially first-rounders) and payroll savings. Internally, the Knicks are using the phrase "changing the culture" to describe roster changes.

Jackson knew he didn't have much flexibility last offseason, especially when he committed to Anthony's five-year, $124 million contract. Jackson understood free agency in the summer of 2015 would be a huge moment for the franchise. That's when Jackson has salary cap space to start shaping the team in his image.

But he also never thought this season would be this bad — a misjudgment that will result in a lottery pick — and he is perturbed about the losing, concerned it will have an impact on free agents deciding if New York is the right team for them.

There was always an eye on the future, but the Knicks front office did not want this season to be a disaster. New York is 25th in offensive efficiency and 28th in defensive efficiency, and injuries to Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani have not helped.

Jackson had roster limitations, and it's not all on him but his fingerprints are on this season's debacle. He traded center Tyson Chandler, but to be fair to Jackson, Chandler wasn't interested in the Knicks' future and is re-energized with the Dallas Mavericks. Guard Jose Calderon, who came to New York in the Chandler trade, could be traded, and Samuel Dalembert, also part of the Chandler deal, was waived by the Knicks earlier this week.

Jackson's hiring of Derek Fisher to run the triangle offense hasn't been a beacon tempting future free agents so far either.

The triangle remains a divisive topic. Talk that it won't work in the NBA without a Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant rankles Jackson. He is adamant it can work — with the right players — and it's on him to identify and bring in those players and prove the triangle is a viable offense in today's NBA.

His first major move was trading Smith and Shumpert, which trimmed nearly $20 million in payroll and luxury taxes and created additional salary cap space for the summer when the Knicks will have about $35 million to spend on free agents.

Jackson might make more moves before the trade deadline, but his next major moves come after the season. He can't miss on a lottery pick and he needs to sign free agents that will turn the Knicks into a winner.

It's New York, it's the Knicks, it's Madison Square Garden and it's Phil Jackson.

He has some advantages, and ownership paid him quite well to make this work.