9 Questions Phil Jackson Has to Answer

James Dolan was giddy.  

"There is only one Phil Jackson, and he is synonymous with winning basketball teams," the Madison Square Garden Chairman said from the lobby of Madison Square Garden just over three years ago. 

Phil Jackson, The Phil Jackson, owner of 11 championship rings, was returning to the city where his basketball career started to lead the Knicks back to glory, or at least that was the narrative being pushed.

That summer, Jackson took to remaking the roster. Since then, the Knicks have gone 80-166. Amazingly, that porous record doesn't even tell the full story. In three years, Jackson has fired one head coach (Derrick Fisher, though we could toss Mike Woodson in there and make it two), reluctantly demoted a second (Kurt Rambis), which wound up neutering the third (Jeff Hornacek). He's made awful trades and signings. He's prioritized chasing immediate success instead of laying a foundation for the future.

All the while he's refused to explain to Knicks fans—the customers lining Dolan's pockets with enough dough that he can afford to pay Jackson an astronomical $12 million a year—what his long-term plan is.

The last time Jackson held a press conference was Sept. 23. He's done two other interviews all season: An Election Day one-on-one with ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan and a guest appearance on CBS Sports.

In those interviews and the months since, Jackson has committed a litany of sins. He's insulted LeBron James and his inner circle. He's alienated his star player, then tried to trade him while simultaneously ripping him through not-so-veiled Twitter shots, further killing any value he might have had. He's seen his starting point guard go AWOL. He's forced his beloved triangle offense onto his new head coach.

Most notably, he's watched the team he put together completely collapse.

And yet, throughout it all, Jackson has said nothing. 

On Friday, that will change. Jackson is scheduled to hold a press conference for the first time since the preseason. Here are 10 questions Knicks fans deserve to hear the team president answer. 

1. What's the deal with Carmelo?

There's no need to regurgitate the whole back and forth, so here's the sum of it: Jackson wants to trade Carmelo Anthony. This is not crazy. Carmelo Anthony is a good but not great player who can't do much other than score. He's expensive, and his best years are behind him. Looking to trade him and move on would be a smart basketball play.

The problem is how Jackson went about the whole thing, how he seemingly tried to force Anthony into waving his no-trade clause—which, it must be noted—Jackson gave him by insulting him via Twitter or friends with basketball columns (sup, Charley Rosen? And yes, we know, you claim you're not a mouthpiece for your friend.). 

This was poor management and a foolish way to try to trade someone. Also, it doesn’t exactly endear the Knicks to other stars across the league.

We all know Jackson would prefer to move on without Anthony, and we all know the basketball reasons for doing so. The real question Jackson needs to answer is: Why did he think this was the best way to go about doing so? 

2. Why have you gone back on your promise of transparency? 

Richard Drew/Associated Press

"I'll be accessible. I'm going to be removed. I want to develop relationships with people here," Jackson said that day in March 2014 after being introduced by Dolan. "This organization has suffered in the past few years from things that have been created by the press, by lack of continuity, by lack of solidarity.

"There are going to be some closed walls as far as the media. I think we have to accept that. I'm reaching out to you media people today, to say we're going to have an open relationship and a good one. We need your support."

So that's changed. The question is: why?

Perhaps the answer lies in that original Jackson quote. "We need your support."

If Jackson indeed believes that the media is there to support his actions as opposed to reporting on them, well, it's no wonder he quickly changed his tune. 

Still, try imagining another business where the president can flop the way Jackson has this year and get away without explaining himself to his customers. Knicks beat reporters who call out Jackson for not speaking aren't doing so because they feel he owes them the time; they're doing it because they know that it's preposterous for a $12 million man at the head of what is essentially a public trust to spend a year hiding.

3. What's more important, winning or the triangle?

Say there was a basketball genie, and one night this basketball genie paid Jackson a visit (peyote, after all, is a hell of a drug) and offered him the knowledge required to win a championship, but on one condition: Jackson's team couldn’t run the triangle. 

Would Jackson accept it?

That this is even a question is ridiculous. It's also one we already know the answer to, but it's still worth Jackson being asked this, point blank, and answering on the record. 

4. Did you force Jeff Hornacek to run the triangle?

Frank Franklin II/Associated Press

Another question we all know the answer to but that should still be asked. Speaking of the triangle…

 5. Will the triangle play a role in determining who to draft?

The Knicks desperately need a point guard. The draft is loaded with point guards. The Knicks will have a lottery pick in this draft.

All this seems to point in the Knicks' favor. But this is the Knicks—things never point in their favor.

Best-case scenario? Jackson realized he should be targeting the best point guard available. Worst-case scenario? He skips over a potential stud because he doesn't fit the triangle; a system, it should be noted, the Knicks will no longer play once Jackson retires.

6. Do you plan on bringing back Derrick Rose?

The answer should be no (as outlined here). It might be yes, according to ESPN.com. That is not good. 

7. What do you think of the job Kurt Rambis did as defensive coordinator? 

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Rambis, a longtime Jackson confidant, was promoted to defensive coordinator on Nov. 8. The Knicks had the league's worst defensive rating when he took over (110.9). They finished the season as the NBA’s sixth-worst defensive team (108.8 points allowed per 100 possessions). Not exactly a difference-maker.

Rambis, remember, was the interim head coach last season and was considered for the head coaching job over the summer. Keeping him on Hornacek's staff—as an associate head coach, no less—was a mistake. Players know he, not Hornacek, is the one with Jackson's ear. 

As for the defense—there's not a defensive coordinator in the league who could survive those ugly stats. Rambis will, and Jackson needs to explain why.

8. Is the plan going forward to win immediately or to slowly build around Kristaps Porzingis? 

Nathaniel S. Butler/Getty Images

The infuriating thing about all this is the Knicks already have accomplished the hard part of rebuilding: They have a potential star.

Sure, Porzingis seemed to stall a bit this season. But there are plenty of good reasons for that, and his ceiling remains the roof. Jackson has also proven himself adept at scouting, and the Knicks' player development staff has proven that it can be trusted with fostering the careers of young talents.

A rebuilding team couldn't ask for a better foundation. 

The problem is that Jackson hasn't fully committed to rebuilding. Is he ready to now, with his team coming off an embarrassing 31-51 season?

9. Do you think beefing with LeBron James and his friends—an increasingly powerful NBA clique—was good management? 

Remember Possegate? "You can't hold up the whole team because you and your mom and your posse want to spend an extra night in Cleveland," Jackson said of James' friends in that November interview with ESPN.

James told reporters afterwards that he took issue with the comment. James' business associate, Maverick Carter, told ESPN that the word had racial connotations. 

Whether you agree or not is irrelevant. That's a spot where Jackson has to immediately offer a public apologize and clarification. "I didn’t realize some take offense to that word, no offense was meant." The end.

As a human being, this would be the right thing to do, but forget that for a second; as a basketball executive, this is a must. LeBron James is the alpha male of NBA stars, a player all others look up to, the vice president of the NBA Players Association. His friend and agent, Rich Paul, has a client list growing by the year. 

It's hard to envision any Paul client sitting down with Jackson come free agency this July. 

All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats from NBA.com unless otherwise noted and accurate as of April 13.

Yaron Weitzman covers the Knicks, and other things, for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman and listen to his Knicks-themed podcast here.