- Jan 4, 2012
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D Lo plays too nonchalant to matchup with Rubio
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http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/...new-york-knicks-president-phil-jackson-qa-nbaJM: You have an opt-out clause in your contract after this season. Do you plan to exercise it?
PJ: I have not entertained that. I'm looking for this Knicks team to get back into a situation where they are competitive. Do I have to win a championship before I feel I've done the job I've been asked to do, which is to bring this group back to that competitive level? No, I don't. We're starting to make progress. I like a lot of the things we are doing here. But we've got more to do.
JM: Lakers executive vice president of basketball operations Jim Buss said if the Lakers didn't make it to the Western Conference finals by 2017, he would step down. It's unlikely the Lakers will meet that goal. Why not go back and run your old team?
PJ: They're moving forward in the right direction. Luke (Walton) has them engaged, Brian (Shaw) is an associate head coach; they have a core group of guys that will get it done. It was never important to me to go back and be a part of that. Especially not now. I have this job, this commitment.
JM: Then why bother to include the opt-out clause?
PJ: The real issue with the opt out was simply my rationale regarding the (potential) lockout. If it was going to happen in December and everybody chose to walk away, there was no way I was going to sit in New York for three, four months when I didn't have a job, because (the players) aren't even allowed to show up to work. So, in that case, I would go back to L.A.
JM: You are in a bi-coastal relationship with Lakers president and part-owner Jeanie Buss. How difficult has it been to be apart?
PJ: It's hard. Very hard. It's hard to keep a house out there. I've got eight grandchildren in the Bay Area. FaceTime has really helped me.
JM: So where's home?
PJ: My accountant tells me I can't be a California resident anymore. I spend too much of my time in New York.