Kobe says Jackson-Melo feud not beyond reconciliation

The New York Knicks remain stuck in a bitter feud as team president Phil Jackson continues his unsuccessful attempts to ditch star player Carmelo Anthony.

But having gone through his fair share of fights with Jackson, retired star Kobe Bryant urged the two sides to work together, claiming the relationship is not necessarily beyond reconciliation.

"Not from what I've been through with Phil," Bryant told Marc Berman of The New York Post. "Michael (Jordan) had his rough times with him as well. The history is you get through rough times after you win a good amount of championships.

"We certainly had our rocky times, but we still stuck to it, we figured out our way through it and came out better because of it. I think the most important thing is sticking to it, being patient. Sometimes things work out. Sometimes they don't."

Bryant has defended Jackson in the past, and is once again showing faith in the former coach that once called him "uncoachable" and wanted him traded. In that sense, Bryant is living proof that Jackson's prickly tactics can produce success.

But he also acknowledged there are some notable differences with the Anthony-Jackson situation, particularly when it comes to their professional relationship, and the fact that the Knicks are a lottery team. It's a lot easier to swallow Jackson's abrasiveness when it leads to titles.

"From my experience, from what I had with Phil - again it's a different situation, he was coaching the team - but you can get through rocky times," Bryant said. "They certainly were there in Chicago and when he was in L.A. But the championships can overshadow that."