The Knicks' front office has been at odds with their players for months. They've been infamously feuding with Carmelo Anthony, forcing the triangle onto a roster that doesn't want to use it, and Phil Jackson used exit interviews to rip the entire team in front of the media. The entire situation has gotten so chaotic that Kristaps Porzingis skipped his interviews and has yet to speak with the team.
Everything from the outside looks awful, and according to the New York Daily News, it's even worse on the inside. This isn't a front office that's blasting players to try and motivate them or use any of those old Jackson tactics from his coaching days. No, they're trying to shift the blame.
Several people familiar with the Knicks' thinking believe the Knicks front office, in the wake of the Porzingis debacle, is scrambling to save face but more importantly to protect their jobs.
"The front office is in full survivor mode," said one team source. "The place is a mess so now they want to make it seem like the kid is the problem. Suddenly he's uncoachable. He won't listen. They're trying to put it all on him."
The Knicks have been in a PR disaster ever since Porzingis angrily skipped out on his exit interviews. He's the best young prospect they've had in over a decade and the last thing they need to be doing is angering him. This has led to one of the worst clean up jobs ever as they try to protect their image.
Jackson and the front office seem to be on a collision course with the players where only one side is going to win. They're either going to trade everybody out and start it all over or Jackson could find himself out of New York sooner rather than later.
