Scottie Pippen won six NBA championships playing for Phil Jackson's Chicago Bulls in the 1990s, but that doesn't mean he won't spare the New York Knicks president from criticism.
Pippen appeared on ESPN's "The Jump" on Thursday and was asked who was most responsible for the Knicks' failures. He didn't mince words.
"To be honest with you, I'm gonna have to go at my old coach, Phil Jackson," said Pippen. "I just think he hasn't put the right pieces on the floor ... this team really just hasn't had it. They haven't had it since Phil Jackson landed there."
When asked if Jackson should be removed, Pippen replied, "Yes."
Jackson has been under fire practically from the moment he was named Knicks president in 2014. Last summer's acquisitions in Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah didn't come close to pushing the needle further, and Jackson's spent most of the season trying to get Carmelo Anthony to waive his no-trade clause.
Pippen sympathizes with Anthony.
"I give a lot of credit to Carmelo, who has been very professional in getting through this 82-game season ... I just feel bad for Carmelo having to go through this and having to deal with it, but he got a great contract," Pippen joked.
While key parts of the Bulls dynasty alongside Michael Jordan, Jackson, and Pippen haven't always had the smoothest relationship. In 1994, Pippen refused to go back on the floor for the final 1.8 seconds of a playoff game because Jackson's ATO play wasn't designed for him (Toni Kukoc ended up winning the game for the Bulls).
