Sullivan: This has to be good for the Knicks, right?

The end of the Phil Jackson era has to be good for the Knicks.

Doesn’t it?

Owner James Dolan finally woke up and did something good for his embattled franchise.

Didn’t he?

On the surface, the news that carried the Knicks from late Tuesday night into early Wednesday morning has to be viewed as the smartest thing Dolan has done in years, a public admission that Jackson’s tenure has been a complete failure, a final concession that just because a move looks good on paper doesn’t guarantee it will do well in reality. Because the reality of Jackson’s three-year run was as ugly as anything we’ve seen on the New York sports scene, replete with bad contracts, bizarre tweets and bold challenges to his team’s best players, old and new. Despite being retained long enough to conduct the Knicks' business in last week’s NBA Draft, public spats first with veteran Carmelo Anthony and more recently with future star Kristaps Porzingis were enough for Dolan to renege on one guarantee, even while he promises to keep delivering on another.

Despite public declarations he would trust Phil to the end – or at least through the final two years and $24 million on the contract he gave the 11-time NBA champion three years ago – Dolan finally heard the Madison Square Garden voices telling him Jackson could no longer be trusted. By all accounts, the owner had stayed out of Jackson’s way across these last three years, perhaps because he was sincere in admitting basketball is not his area of expertise, or just as likely because he could take cover behind a hire he thought could, and would, appease any potential critics. Either way, he stayed out in the background, emerging only this week to make a change that has been so obviously needed, declaring once again that whomever he hires next, he will grant them the same autonomy and respect the same boundaries he did with Phil.

This was Dolan in the official announcement released by Madison Square Garden Wednesday, a news release that confirmed the overnight frenzy of news first reported by The Vertical, quickly confirmed by The Record’s beat writer Steve Popper, and subsequently responsible for launching a frenzied celebration among fans who have watched the disastrous three-year reign. Dolan made a point of excluding himself from future operation of the team, an important and vital distinction for any hope of success for this ongoing, and seemingly never-ending rebuilding project.

“While we are currently evaluating how best to move forward regarding the leadership of the organization, I will not be involved in the operation of the team,” Dolan said. "Steve Mills, the team’s general manager, will run the day-to-day business of the organization over the short term. Tim Leiweke, who brings tremendous expertise and experience in sports franchise management from both Toronto and Los Angeles and is our partner in the Oak View Group, will advise and work with Steve on an interim basis to help develop a go-forward plan.”

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Sounds good, right? But let’s be honest – one good decision does not a smart resume make. And in Dolan’s world of ego and myopia, the next bad decision has always been lurking right around the corner.

Right now, right here, Dolan has earned his small slice of the benefit of the doubt, especially if this move portends not only the continued deference to basketball people much better suited to making basketball decisions than he is, but also, just as importantly, that that person is not, and never again will be Isiah Thomas.

If those two things are true, maybe there’s room here for a sliver of hope.

Jackson was supposed to bring a go-forward plan three years ago, and Dolan thought he was finally finding an answer similar to the one that has helped his Rangers stay atop the NHL standings, wherein you hire good people and let them do their jobs. Jackson’s credentials made sense – championship player, championship coach, triangle innovator.

But as an executive, Jackson was an unmitigated disaster. He alienated current players, from Anthony to Porzingis, calling them out despite their apparent dedication to the team, but barely batting an eye when Derrick Rose missed a game. He overshadowed his coaches, so insistent on forcing his triangle offense into a square-pegged fast-moving NBA, quickly moving on from his first hire Derek Fisher, replacing his interim coach Kurt Rambis and hamstringing his latest hire Jeff Hornacek.

He infuriated rival executives, unreachable and uncommunicative in front office talks, hesitant to share even a cellphone number with operators from other teams. He confounded rookie players, with one reportedly telling ESPN commentator and former NBA player Jay Williams that Jackson was falling asleep during workouts. He insulted a viewing public, as recently as the night before the draft, when he did an interview on MSG and insisted “I think we know what we’re doing,” right as he was threatening to trade Porzingis, the team’s best hope for the future.

Now that era is done, that chapter mercifully closed. Dolan has another chance to try to get this right. Of course it’s tough to have faith he will, but at least he’s trying. If he can keep himself from making an even more disastrous move and turning to his favorite confidante Thomas, if he can allow Mills to run free agency while searching for a long-term answer such as recently fired Cleveland GM David Griffin or current Toronto GM Masai Ujiri, it might - might! - be a step in the right direction.

It sure can't be worse that it's been these past three years.

Email: sullivan@northjersey.com