The ubiquitous hustle and bustle of the Big Apple could break the most heartened and healthy of the uninitiated in short order. For Knicks president Phil Jackson, the opposite has happened.
Jackson, who battled deteriorating health conditions after his 2011 retirement from the Lakers, has experienced a health renaissance of sorts this season, despite the Knicks' freefall to a 28-40 record in what will be another postseason-less campaign.
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As detailed in a feature on ESPN.com published Monday, Jackson has shed most of the weight he put on since heading up the Knicks' rebuilding project three seasons ago. In fact, he's feeling so spry these days that some think it's possible the 70-year-old might consider a return to coaching in the 2016-17 season.
"He looks great," Lakers star Kobe Bryant said of Jackson after a 90-87 loss to the Knicks on Sunday night. "Physically he looks good. I'm happy for him."
Any inkling of what Jackson might do next season, the last before either he or the Knicks could exercise the mutual out clause in his contract, is speculation at best at this point.
But the midseason firing of coach Derek Fisher has stoked rumors that the Hall of Fame coach could resume a role on the bench.
In one scenario posed by ESPN.com, Jackson would split home and road duties with interim coach Kurt Rambis — a compromise in agreeing to bring Rambis back for another season.
"It's great to have him supporting," Rambis said, via ESPN. "With [Phil] and Steve Mills and Allan Houston, we have a front-office staff with good basketball minds. It's great to get their perspective before games, after games, and sort of bounce basketball ideas off each other."
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Other possible complications include the likely courting of Warriors assistant coach Luke Walton. But with the pressure squarely on Jackson and his eight-figure contract to win sooner rather than later, he might prefer to take matters into his own hands, free from the burden of developing another rookie coach.
There's also an omnipresent possibility Jackson would bolt from the Knicks for a return to Los Angeles and fiancee Jeannie Buss.
ESPN reported, flatly, that's "unlikely." Jackson likes New York. But, it cautioned, never say never.
