New York Knicks

D'Angelo Russell sorry about 'silly' Phil Jackson fine

Published May. 18, 2015 4:53 p.m. ET

foxsports

Remember when Phil Jackson got the Knicks fined after commenting publicly about draft prospect D'Angelo Russell? Well, Russell is now commenting back.

From Marc Berman of the New York Post:

The Zen Master was fined an undisclosed amount in March for making an innocuous comment about Russell after attending an Ohio State game, calling him “a great prospect.’’

“I actually apologized to him when I met with him today,’’ Russell said. “He kind of winked and smiled. I don’t know if it hurt his bank account at all. I apologized to him for that.”

The league rules are in place to prevent NBA executives from making remarks that could persuade an underclassman to enter the draft.

“It didn’t have anything to do with me declaring,’’ Russell said. “It definitely was an honor to see him at our gym. I definitely think [the fine] was silly.’’

The Knicks have a decent chance to get Russell, since they're going to be inside the top five of the draft and since we know Jackson already likes him as a prospect. If he ends up in New York, he thinks he and Carmelo Anthony would be a nice fit. More from Berman:

“Oh, man — that’s beautiful, knowing … the damage we could do in this league together,’’ he said.

(H/t to Marc Berman of the New York Post.)