GREENBURGH, N.Y.It could take weeks to fully unpack all the batty claims Phil Jackson made Friday during his end-of-season press conference. So it goes when the man in charge of the NBA's most disappointing and dysfunctional franchise fields questions from reporters just once all year. But as Jackson stood behind the lectern at the New York Knicks' training facility and explained how he plans on fixing the Knicks and addressing the organization's many issues, one thing became abundantly clear:He is not qualified to be in charge of an NBA team, at least not in the year 2017. This, of course, is a problem for the Knicks, given that Jackson is the team's president of basketball operations. He's not the head coach, but going forward, he might as well add that title to his LinkedIn page, too."I think I've got to do a little bit more on scene, on target mentoring," Jackson said Friday. "I probably will.''Those he plans on being more hands on with didn't exactly react to this announcement with glee.Just hours after Jackson, who's led the Knicks to a 80-166 record in his three seasons at the helm, stepped away from the microphone, multiple reports trickled out that Kristaps Porzingis had skipped out on his exit meeting with Jackson. "Frustration over what (Porzingis) perceives as the dysfunction and drama surrounding the organization" was the explanation given to ESPN's Ian Begley."Players are privately fuming that they want no part of the organization's summer slate of triangle offense regimen at the team's suburban New York practice facility," added The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski.Porzingis' exit meeting was scheduled prior to Jackson's press conference, yet it was only after Jackson spoke that reports of his being annoyed were leaked. This was no coincidence or accident. Jackson's state of the union left Porzingis, along with others in the organization, feeling exasperated and perplexed.None of this is new. From Carmelo Anthony to Derrick Rose to other players and coaches, all season there have been grumbles, both on the record and behind the scenes, about the direction that Jackson was leading the Knicks. The problem is that none of them have the power to fight it. Ironically, Jackson seems to be the one basketball executive Knicks owner James Dolan has been content leaving alone.But Porzingis' discontent changes the equation. He's The Savior, The Chosen One, the Unicorn. He may not yet be as good as Carmelo, but his word carries more weight, at least around Madison Square Garden. Anthony has already been pushed out the door by Jackson. His Knicks career is essentially a thing of the past. Also, you can make a strong basketball argument that the Knicks would be better off without him on the roster.Jackson was able to go to war with Anthony and, at least it seems for now, emerge victorious.Porzingis, though, is a different beast. Dolan might be cool with Jackson shipping out Anthony, but it's hard to envision him keeping his quietif Jackson starts beefing with the franchise's golden ticket, too. This makes Porzingis the lone person with the power to challenge Jackson's authority; he's the one person who has the ability to save the Knicks from Jackson's tight grip.And now, as he prepares for his third NBA season, the 21-year-old Porzingis seems prepared to wield it.It's unclear as to what exactly set Porzingis off. He's been aggravated for a while now, and even said as much following an embarrassing March loss to the Nets, when he told reporters there's confusion in the organization "from top to bottom."As the season inched along, there were other hints that Porzingis was prepared to mount an assault against Jackson and his foolish philosophies, from requests with higher-ups to ensure certain staff members are retained, to members of his inner circle being more open about expressing their restlessness.And for good reason. Porzingis didn't make the leap this year that many hoped he would, but the Knicks didn't do enough to help him either. Hearing Jackson on Friday talk about how he'd be open to trading Porzingis if the right offer was made"Everything has got to be possible and we have to make sure that if people have something to say, we listen to it"no doubt further irked him.And then there's what Jackson said about Porzingis' shot selection."He had a game he didn't take a three, which I told him that was important," Jackson told reporters on Friday. "If it's not there you don't have to take a three. That's sometimes just a cheap way to score points or you get anxious to score points."Porzingis is a 7'3" big man whose ability to space the floor, in theory, should open up all sorts of lanes for his teammates. He drilled 35.7 percent of his treys this season. He took just under five a game, with 4.2 of them coming on either "open" or "wide open" looks, according to NBA.com. Those are shots the Knicks should be hunting, not discouraging, and the very skill set that makes Porzingis so special.Nowhere in sports will you find individuals with more power than NBA superstars. So few exist, and you need one to win.Porzingis might not be one yet, but in calling Jackson all-in, he's aligning himself with the likes of LeBron James, Chris Paul and other studs who in recent years have made it clear that, organizational hierarchy be damned, it's the GMs who work for them.Jackson, who's never quite seemed willing to recognize how much of his success he owes to the presence of players like Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, and who had no problem taking shots at LeBron's "posse" earlier this year and alienating the entire NBA Players Association, isn't mentally equipped for this type of fight.Today's NBA is different from the one Jackson dominated, both in tactics and personality. His inability to acknowledge this evolution is exactly why the Knicks have regressed under his watch. It's also why Porzingis' continuing to challenge his power is the only chance the Knicks have.All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats from NBA.com unless otherwise noted.Yaron Weitzman covers the Knicks, and other things, for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @YaronWeitzman and listen to his Knicks-themed podcast here.
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