RICHARD DREW / AP

Phil Jackson’s Biggest Mistake As Knicks President 

Phil Jackson says his biggest mistake as president of the Knicks was turning down the chance to trade for Jae Crowder in the trade with the Mavs back in 2014, which involved Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton.

“I think the biggest mistake I made was actually this…One of the first deals I engineered when I came back to New York was to trade Chandler and Felton to Dallas for Shane Larkin, Jose Calderon, Wayne Ellington, Samuel Dalembert, plus a second-round pick that the Mavs owed to the Celtics. In talking with Boston, I was given the option of taking that pick or else taking Crowder. I liked Crowder but I thought he wouldn’t get much of a chance to play behind Carmelo, so I took the pick which turned out to be Cleanthony Early. While Cleanthony has missed lots of time in the past two seasons with us, he still has the potential to be a valuable player. Even so, I should have taken Crowder. Anyway, for all of us, making mistakes are part of the learning process.”

Crowder would have been an incredible fit for the Knicks, maybe even the missing link. But that’s the past. Crowder seems to be very happy in Boston and even threw a little shade at Phil Jackson, after the interview was published.