Phil Jackson was asked everything from his past LSD use to his current opinion of Knicks owner James Dolan during a stirring 90-minute presentation at the New Yorker Festival at SVA Theatre in Chelsea.
Jackson said the LSD experimentation in the 1970's was "a liberating experience'' and feels his presence as Knicks president will be a liberating experience for the former "meddling'' owner.
Jackson revealed re-signing Carmelo Anthony was solely his decision and Dolan made sure of it. Jackson added Dolan never wanted to run Cablevision or the Garden; it was "foisted' upon him by his family. Dolan's real love is making music with his blues band.
"When it comes to money, I will call him and ask him if you feel like spending X amount of dollars in this regard,'' Jackson said during the onstage interview. "That's our deal. The choices as we go forward are mine to make how to get this team to come together. I was point blank and honest [before I took the job]. If I come into your office or call and tell you I want to trade X player, who's an All-Star, and Y player, who's a fan favorite, and I think it's the right thing, I want you to feel confident I could do this and give me liberty to do that. Will you do that? He said yes.
"That was key and came all the way down to Carmelo this summer. [Dolan said] if you don't feel like that's the right direction, you don't have to sign him. I had the liberty to make that choice and needed to have that to come and do the job the right way.''
Jackson said he re-signed Anthony because he "has just touched the surface of his greatness."
Jackson was asked by the moderator to humanize Dolan and proceeded to defend him on his pre-Jackson over-involvement.
"Jim is a person that has a life that was foisted upon him as corporate head,'' Jackson said. "It's not what he started out wanting to be in life. He didn't want to be involved in basketball.''
Jackson added Dolan "has a tremendous competitive drive.''
"In the process he's gotten involved in basketball because things have happened in this organization that irritated him,'' Jackson said. "Some of the ways the teams have been handled and decisions made on players that were costly. He was obligated to get involved to correct the inadequacies. As result, some things happened where it looked like he meddled and he had to meddle at some point. Meanwhile, what does he want to do? Play music and be in a band singing.
Ben McGrath, a New Yorker contributor, chats with Jackson on Sunday.Photo: Getty Images for The New Yorker Festival
"Hopefully I can allow him to do that and relieve him of the pressures of basketball and he can enjoy what he's doing in the musical world."
Jackson was blindsided by the very first question — his LSD use he chronicled in his autobiography, "Maverick," written with Charley Rosen.
It's a sore subject. Jackson feels he was blackballed from the NBA during his stint coaching Albany in the old Continental Basketball Association because of that revelation. According to a source, Rosen wanted to re-release "Maverick'' when Jackson got the Knicks job, but the Zen Master passed.
"I did read Tom Robbins,'' Jackson said. "He does say it probably was the most important thing to happen in his life. It wasn't an important aspect of my life. It was a liberating experience for me — not something I repeated. But something that was an open door for and important for me to be aware of.''
Jackson touched on other subjects:
- He revealed he and Derek Fisher, while on the corporate plane to meet with Anthony in Los Angeles, detoured to Kansas to meet with triangle innovator Tex Winter to discuss the legacy Fisher was carrying on with the offense.
- Jackson said of the offense: "I don't put much emphasis in the name. It's a system of how to play. It's organized. It's not rocket science.''
- Jackson on Spike Lee producing an MSG Network documentary on the triangle: "Spike's an avid Knicks fan who doesn't know anything about basketball.''
- On this season's expectations: "Can they jump from not making the playoffs to the Finals of the Eastern Conference? That would be a tremendous year for us. To get to the Finals would be unexpected. We have to understand progression, learn how to play and bond together.''
- On his Zen Master nickname: "There's no Zen Master, just Zen.''
- On the Knicks' bleak history since their last title in 1973: "They had a good opportunity in the 1990s but unfortunately at that time the Bulls were a dominant team. In 1999, 15 years ago [in the Finals] was the last time New York had something to crow about. We're trying to bring back that feeling to this city.''
- On why he traded for point guard Jose Calderon: "He has a real good sense how to play the game. He could keep these players going forward in the direction we want. He's going to be a real floor leader.''
- On Donald Sterling: "He's Donald Duck, a weird duck."
- On his relationship with New York media: "I'm in a honeymoon period right now."
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