Lakers News: Jackson Disputes Kupchak’s Exec of the Year Vote
Part of the experience of dealing with Phil Jackson are his public quotes. He spins the media like a top. So, when he was asked to grade his performance in his first year as president of the New York Knicks, of course he thought he should’ve earned Executive of the Year votes.
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This, via Ian Begley of ESPN New York:
Phil Jackson said he was surprised that he didn't get any votes for Exec of the Year, per the Times. Cites LAL's Kupchak getting a vote. Wow
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) June 19, 2015
I’m all for a fun tweet and this is definitely taken out of context to a certain extent, but this feels mighty close to a cheap shot. And New York knows cheap shots, with Frank Isola a leading voice in their sports culture.
The criticism lofted Phil’s way may be unfair, as he took over a team filled with terrible contracts and little to no talent beyond Carmelo Anthony. He didn’t do himself any favors when he pontificated openly about the Knicks’ playoff chances. But in no world does he deserve even a 31st place Executive of the Year vote (yes, I know there are only 30 teams).
Kupchak, on the other hand, was dealt a similar hand in terms of talent and injury-riddled superstars. Even given that, he found an all-NBA rookie and has put himself (thanks in large part to the lottery) in a fairly easy hole to dig out of. Did he deserve that EoY vote? No.
But Mitch deserved that aforementioned vote more than he did Phil’s low blow.