Jackson to attend Shaq ceremony while Magic's reportedly away scouting

Only in the NBA - and prodded along by the New York media - would this be a story, but New York Knicks president Phil Jackson is a confirmed attendee for Friday's Shaquille O'Neal Lakers statue unveiling at Staples Center, according to ESPN's Arash Markazi.

Meanwhile, Lakers president Magic Johnson will be in Memphis for two NCAA tournament Sweet 16 games - specifically UCLA vs. Kentucky - and will "reluctantly" miss the ceremony, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.

With Magic ostensibly fulfilling his executive duty, the optics of Jackson passing up a scouting mission involving the likes of Lonzo Ball, Malik Monk, and De'Aaron Fox - not to mention North Carolina's Justin Jackson - was not lost on the Gotham media, which leaped at the latest opportunity to turn the Knicks' honcho into a pinata.

"Phil Jackson blows off scouting opportunity for Shaq," read a New York Post headline, with Marc Berman reporting that Jackson's consigliere, Steve Mills, would be in Memphis instead.

Jackson, of course, coached O'Neal during the Lakers' three consecutive championships in the early 2000s, so despite the awkwardness, he's still a no-brainer attendee for the ceremony prior to L.A.'s game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

At the same time, frustration with Jackson has reached a fever pitch among many Knicks observers. The team actually has its first-round pick this June (after losing last year's to the Toronto Raptors due to the Andrea Bargnani trade), and it will almost assuredly be a lottery selection that requires detailed scouting.

The Knicks will next be in San Antonio to play the Spurs on Saturday.