Phil Jackson’s list of transactions as Knicks president is disturbing

The New York Knicks parted ways with Phil Jackson as president of basketball operations on Wednesday. The decision comes after he posted an 80-166 record as an executive, failing to smoothly transition from one of the best head coaches of all time to the front office.

Jackson played with fire when he told reporters beloved Knicks All-Star Carmelo Anthony was better off somewhere else. He then burned himself by fielding trade calls on Kristaps Porzingis after the second-year star missed his end-of-the-season exit interview.

Had Anthony not held a no-trade clause, Jackson would have dealt him at first chance at the trade deadline. And had he found the sizable return he was looking for, The Zen Master would have moved on from Porzinigis as well.

In wake of these two deals that never happened, we revisit every transaction Phil Jackson made as Knicks president. Fair warning, it gets ugly:

Signings: Shannon Brown (waived), Lamar Odom (waived), Jason Smith, Ricky Ledo (waived), Langston Galloway

Trades

Drafted: Cleanthony Early (No. 34) and Thanasis Antetokounmpo (No. 51)

Signings: Derrick Williams (two years, $10 million), Arron Afflalo (two years, $16 million), Robin Lopez (four years, $54 million), Kevin Seraphin, Tony Wroten (never played), Jimmer Fredette (10-day contract)

Trades

Drafted: Kristaps Porzingis (No. 4)

Signings: Joakim Noah (four years, $72 million), Courtney Lee (four years, $48 million), Lance Thomas (four years, $27 million), Brandon Jennings (one year, $5 million — waived midseason), Sasha Vujacic, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Marshall Plumlee, Maurice Ndour, Ron Baker, Chasson Randle (midseason)

Trade: Jose Calderon, Jerian Grant, and Robin Lopez to Chicago for Derrick Rose and Justin Holiday

In summation, Jackson bulldozed the Knicks’ roster, built it from scratch, and bulldozed it again.

He traded Shumpert and Smith to the Cavaliers for Lance Thomas, Lou Amundson, and Alex Kirk. Thomas is the only player still on the team from that trade. He traded Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Hawks for Jerian Grant, who he traded for Derrick Rose and Justin Holiday — both of whom become free agents this summer. He gave Joakim Noah $72 million after playing only 29 games in 2016. Noah played poorly and sparingly in his first season with the Knicks.

And he signed Sasha Vujacic.

First, of course, Jackson drafted Porzingis fourth overall in 2015. He’s become a basketball unicorn and a glimmer of hope for the Knicks’ future.

Second, shipping two second-round picks to Philly for Willy Hernangomez was smart. Hernangomez was named to the All-Rookie First Team after averaging eight points and seven rebounds per game. He nearly averaged a double-double in games where he played 20 minutes or more.

Next, he got Kyle O’Quinn out of Orlando for a second-round pick. O’Quinn, a Queens, N.Y. native, has become a fan favorite in New York and has played well in stretches.

Lastly, the trade for Derrick Rose made sense at the time. Rose rebounded from injury to average 18 points and 4.4 assists, but he didn’t quite fit with the Triangle Offense Jackson employed midseason.

Then he went missing for a game, battled nagging back injuries, and slightly tore his meniscus to end the season. Let’s call it a draw to be nice.

Earlier Wednesday, I asked Twitter this question:

Most of you responded in a heartbeat: Joakim Noah’s $72 million deal

A lot of you really hated the Smith-Shumpert trade:

Some of you really liked Tim Hardaway Jr.:

Some of you didn’t like Melo’s no-trade clause, either:

This guy thought the Knicks got less than nothing in return for Tyson Chandler:

And this guy nails it on the head:

The Knicks have moved on from Jackson, though it’s unclear who will replace him at the helm. Hopefully for Knicks fans, whoever’s next has some track record as an executive.