Phil Jackson gives player-by-player breakdown of Knicks roster

New York Knicks president Phil Jackson has mostly said and done all the right things since taking up the reins of one of the league's most beleaguered franchises. 

He arrived with a mandate to institute the triangle offense he made famous as a coach in Chicago and Los Angeles, installed former player and disciple Derek Fisher as head coach, locked up franchise player Carmelo Anthony long term, avoided giving out any damaging contracts and even netted the Knicks a couple future draft picks. 

But one question remains: What does Dr. Phil think of the roster he's (largely) inherited? He may be new to the front-office game, but nobody would question Jackson's clout as a talent evaluator. On Wednesday, he offered his insights on the Knicks player personnel to Charley Rosen at ESPN.com. 

Here are some excerpts from his take on a few notable players: 

"Carmelo Anthony is obviously the team's only certified All-Star. It's also no secret that Melo has to keep the ball moving, but he's committed to doing this. Passing has never been a great strength of his, but in the triangle he'll be able to have check-off reads like a quarterback looking for his first-option receiver, then his second and then his third."

"Jose Calderon and Pablo Prigioni are heady and steady. Neither of them will have any trouble figuring out the triangle (offense). Jose is a lights-out shooter and, like Pablo, rarely if ever takes a bad shot."

"(Amar'e) Stoudemire can still be a potent scorer. He can get to the middle when he's in the low post, and in screen-rolls he's a threat to either screen-and-pop or drive to the hoop. Playing adequate defense is a real challenge for him and he's also got to improve his rebounding."

"If Andrea Bargnani's initial season in New York was a disappointment, I believe he'll thrive in the triangle. The 3-point shot is a bit out of his range, but from 20 feet and in, Andrea is a deadly shooter. And those are the kinds of shots that the offense will generate for him."

"The 2 position is our deepest, and J.R. Smith is easily the best athlete on the team. But J.R. has to learn the difference between a good shot and a bad shot. He has to trust that the triangle will create good shots and to avoid searching for his own shot."

It was a fairly optimistic assessment, all told. But while Jackson has said he believes New York can be a playoff team this season, many outside the organization view this as more of a placeholder campaign for the Knicks, who have close to $50 million in salary coming off their books at season's end.