Is Phil Jackson trying to one up Red with the new career move?

[nicknorman]

I don't understand this move from Phil Jackson's perspective.  He is considered one of the top 2 NBA coaches ever (I personally think Red was better, but I am biased).

So why take a thankless Knicks job after leaving such a great legacy.

Is he trying to one up Red in the front office, where Red was known as the mastermind behind 3 Celtics dynasties over 4 decades?  I can't see any other reason for this from such a respected coach, except that maybe he sees Red's shadow over him still.

[rocknrollforyoursoul]

I don't understand this move from Phil Jackson's perspective.  He is considered one of the top 2 NBA coaches ever (I personally think Red was better, but I am biased).

So why take a thankless Knicks job after leaving such a great legacy.

Is he trying to one up Red in the front office, where Red was known as the mastermind behind 3 Celtics dynasties over 4 decades?  I can't see any other reason for this from such a respected coach, except that maybe he sees Red's shadow over him still.

It's possible that Red's legacy has something to do with this. Regardless, I think the Knicks are taking a big risk with this. I don't see "Phil Jackson GM" as being nearly as big a draw to players as "Phil Jackson coach," and I'm not sure Phil's whole zen coaching thing translates to putting together a roster.

[Roy H.]

I can't see any other reason for this from such a respected coach, except that maybe he sees Red's shadow over him still.

You're forgetting about the $60 million contract.  That's a pretty big incentive.

[Who]

I think Phil Jackson misses the competitiveness and life of the NBA. He has been a part of the league for so long. Hard to walk away from something like that.

Like he once said, he would either walk away from the game at a younger age and do something completely different and live a different life (something outside of basketball) ... or he'd stay in the game and become one of those coaches who spends their entire life around basketball and never does anything else.

I think he just spent so long in the league and is so competitive and misses many things about basketball, that he wanted to come back. But his health is no longer good enough to coach full time anymore so he went for a front office position instead.  If it wasn't New York, it would be somewhere else.

New York was just the team (a place he has always said he feels a special connection to from his time as a player) that offered him the job he wanted, with the control he wanted and the relaxed duties/responsibilities (in terms of day-to-day GM stuff) he wanted and then threw in a huge payday to boot. It was the perfect offer for Phil Jackson.

[D.o.s.]

He was getting bored because Jeanie Buss wasn't showing any indication of being ready to retire.

I disagree with Who -- my guess is that he wasn't going to go anywhere aside from New York, at least not as an executive.

[Donoghus]

I doubt the Red thing had much of an impact at all, if any. 

I think it's mostly ego (and the $$$)  and the fact that its the Knicks that's offering him this opportunity.  That's his roots.  He thinks he can make it over and rescue it from the dregs of the NBA right now. 

He wouldn't be doing this if it was the Milwaukee Bucks.

[LarBrd33]

If/when Phil fails in NY, I'm ready to call him the most overrated coach of all time.

He's basically already earned the title.  A failure in NY will cement it.