PURCHASE, N.Y. -- The New York Knicks, off to a slow start and laboring on offense, Monday fired Coach Stu Jackson and replaced him with veteran John MacLeod, the coach they sought two years ago.
The decision was announced by General Manager Al Bianchi, who was an assistant coach at Phoenix when MacLeod coached the Suns. Jackson is the first NBA coach to be dismissed this season.
MacLeod, whose ties with MacLeod go back more than a decade, will coach his first game with the Knicks Tuesday night, against Orlando at Madison Square Garden.
He took over as coach at Monday's practice. Terms of the contract were not announced.
MacLeod, 53, last coached at Dallas two seasons ago and has been working as a basketball commentator for the Seattle SuperSonics. He ranks fifth among current NBA coaches with 635 victories.
'This decision was made in the best interests of the New York Knicks,' Bianchi said in a statement. 'At this point in time we felt change was needed to improve the performance of the team. John MacLeod is a proven winner. His outstanding record speaks for itself.'
The Knicks, regarded as a contender entering the season, are 7-8, including an uncharacteristically poor 3-5 record at home. Their offense, with the exception of center Patrick Ewing, has not thrived.
Ewing scored 50 points against Charlotte Saturday to help the Knicks break a five-game losing streak. Last week Jackson benched guard Gerald Wilkins and teamed Mark Jackson in the backcourt with Maurice Cheeks.
'I believe we have to press, play defense and put the halfcourt (offense) into the background,' MacLeod said. 'I want Patrick in the low post and scoring in the low post, but I want the other players inthe game to a greater extent.
'I want team basketball and unselfish basketball. I believe in the Socratic method -- questioning input and give-and-take of ideas -- but I won't allow deviation from an unselfish game plan. The team comes first and not the individual.'
Jackson, a former Knick assistant, took over as coach last season. Bianchi tried to sign MacLeod as coach after Rick Pitino left for the University of Kentucky. However, MacLeod was under contract to the Mavericks and did not want to uproot his family. Bianchi then called on Jackson.
He was 34 at the time of his hiring, the NBA's youngest coach. Jackson guided the the team to a 45-37 record and a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference semifinals, where the Knicks fell to Detroit.
Jackson's regular-season record was the best for a Knicks' coach in his first full season, runner-up only to Hall of Famer Red Holzman's 54- 28 mark in 1968-69.
In 17 seasons as a head coach (14 at Phoenix, three at Dallas), MacLeod's teams have totaled 50 or more victories in five seasons, making him one of only 11 coaches to reach that milestone. He has led his clubs to conference finals four times, three with Phoenix and one with Dallas.
