Hardaway ready for second chance in New York with Knicks
NEW YORK—Tim Hardaway Jr. thought that with Phil Jackson gone, maybe there was a chance he could return to New York.
Even he was surprised it was this soon.
With Jackson and his triangle offense gone, the Knicks reached back to their past to sign Hardaway, a former firstround pick who didn’t fit under Jackson but they hope can flourish without him.
“I definitely left with a bad taste in my mouth and just to have that opportunity to come back here is very rare, so you’ve got to make the most of that,” Hardaway said Monday.
Jackson and the Knicks parted ways last month after three dismal seasons and were quiet at the start of free agency until signing Hardaway to an offer sheet for a four-year, $71 contract. When the Atlanta Hawks decided not to match the offer for the restricted free agent, Hardaway was officially a Knick again on Saturday.
“You play here for two years and then you’re gone and then two years after you get a phone call and it’s like, ‘ Wow, I wouldn’t expect it coming from them,’” Hardaway said.
The 6-foot-6 guard was the No. 24 pick in the 2013 draft after helping Michigan reach the NCAA championship game and was voted to the All-Rookie first team. Jackson was hired as team president late in that season, fired coach Mike Woodson and hired Derek Fisher to replace him and implement the triangle.
Hardaway shot just 39 percent in 2014-15 as the Knicks stumbled to a franchise-worst 17-65 finish, and Jackson dealt Hardaway to Atlanta in a threeteam deal on draft night to get first-round pick Jerian Grant.