Phil Jackson has worked hard at establishing a relationship with Carmelo Anthony.
Jackson already has a relationship with free agent Pau Gasol, whom the Lakers traded for when Jackson was the coach and they went on to win two titles together.
The Knicks are banking on Phil’s relationship to keep Antony in blue and orange. So how about this leap: Gasol signs with the Knicks as part of a plan to help keep Anthony and in sooner? It’s a ridiculous long shot but the Knicks are thinking about it, reports Marc Stein at ESPNNewYork.com.Sources told ESPN.com that Knicks officials, while not willing to trumpet it publicly with free agency fast approaching, are quietly confident about their odds of retaining Anthony thanks in part to the idea that new team president Phil Jackson and the high-scoring forward have “connected” to some degree.
Furthermore, one source close to the process told ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne that Jackson is planning to make a determined attempt to try to recruit his former Los Angeles Lakers center Pau Gasol to replace the freshly traded Tyson Chandler alongside Anthony on the Knicks’ front line, despite the fact New York is limited to offering Gasol less than $4 million for next season.
Anthony may or may not choose a return to New York, I don’t think he knows the answer to that yet. However, there are a multitude of reasons I don’t think Gasol to the Knicks happens. Here are a two key ones:
• Pau Gasol is going to get offered more than $4 million from other teams, a lot more, and he is not going to go to New York at a step discount. (There is a sign-and-trade option but the Knicks don’t have a lot of assets they would give up that the Lakers would want.)
• Anthony wants to win now and the Knicks, even if he comes back and they add Gasol, are not the best team in the East (let alone able to beat the best of the West). It’s going to be a process in New York. Anthony may choose to be the face of that process (and get paid handsomely) but Gasol isn’t as patient.
Gasol is going to be in the second tier of free agents, when teams that had dreams of Anthony (and maybe LeBron James) strike out Gasol will be one of the names they turn to. He will have options.
Gasol also struggled the last season and a half, looking old fast, but to me a lot of that is on Mike D’Antoni. Gasol is not a stretch four but the system coach that is D’Antoni does not easily adapt his system and that led to clashes with Gasol. It sucked the joy out of the game for Gasol. Look for a bounce back year from him — Gasol will represent Spain on its home soil in the World Cup, where he will rediscover his passion for the game, then next season he will play for a coach that uses him more wisely.
That is the one thing Phil Jackson knows how to do with Gasol. It’s just not enough to get him to the Knicks.
