The Trade That Could Have Haunted Phil, But Won’t [AUDIO]

It was the trade last year from Phil Jackson that reminded everyone that he was new at being in the front office. 

"He had a lot of intel about Tyson Chandler that he was not good in the locker room, complaining to the coaching staff and some of the players didn’t like him. [Phil] felt that the locker room needed a chemistry change. But the Chandler trade changed into a disaster."

The Knicks sent Chandler and Raymond Felton packing. In return, the Mavericks unloaded their roster with Jose Calderon, Samuel Dalembert, Shane Larkin and Wayne Ellington to New York, along with a pair of picks.

"Now, every piece of the Chandler trade has not worked out. Jose Calderon is the last guy left and some games he looks OK, but some night he looks over matched.

"It was one terrible trade but he’s moved on from there. He was a rookie president and made a hasty trade a few months into the job. He realizes now that one mistake can really set you back and it did."

It's a trade that could've set the Knicks back by several seasons, but it hasn't. Why? Because with the dumping of Chanlder and Felton, the Knicks secured the worst record in franchise history last year and snagged a lottery ball that gave them the number four overall pick in the draft. With that pick, the Knicks selected an unknown 19-year old European named Kristaps Porzingis who has done nothing but made Jackson look like a genius.

"If it means that they got a franchise player in Kristaps Porzingis last year, which it looks like they did, then it’s all worth it."