Carmelo Anthony Reportedly Fell Asleep During Phil Jackson's Meditation Sessions

It's no secret Carmelo Anthony and Phil Jackson didn't have a great relationship in Anthony's final years with the New York Knicks, and ESPN.com's Ian Begley shed some light on just how bad things got between the two prior to Jackson's ouster in June.  

According to Begley, Jackson engaged in "mindfulness meditation training" with Knicks players in which the players would sit on the edge of their chairs and count to 10 with their eyes closed. Anthony apparently took the sessions less than seriously:

"Some players were dutiful in the exercise, some indifferent and some downright mocking of its worth, team members said. As Jackson's relationship with Anthony deteriorated, so did Melo's commitment to mindfulness training. In the final sessions, witnesses said, it became common for Jackson to tell the players to open their eyes at the end of the exercise, only to find Anthony's head tilted back, eyes still shut, seemingly snoozing."

Jackson is called the "Zen Master" for a reason, and his philosophical approach to coaching and management has unquestionably served him well.

However, getting players to buy in on such an uncommon approach is a lot easier when a team is winning. When Jackson was helping the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers win NBA titles, he could point to tangible results as evidence that his tactics were working.

The Knicks, on the other hand, won 80 games in their three full seasons with Jackson as the president of basketball operations.

Begley reported some inside the Knicks organization had concerns about Jackson's leadership that went well beyond his off-court training methods. At one point in December 2016, Jackson publicly accused Anthony of being a ball hog.

"What the f--k is he doing?" a Knicks executive said in response to Jackson's criticism of Anthony, per Begley. "This is insane. How is this helping us win?"

Jackson's time in New York was a failure for many reasons, and his tenure showed not only how difficult it can be to transition from head coach to front-office executive but also how you have to adapt with the culture of the NBA.

Much like his attitudes toward three-point shooting and the triangle offense, Jackson's mindfulness training was probably best left in the past.