Charles Oakley thinks ex-coach Phil Jackson will be a "great" addition to the Knicks' franchise he spent the bulk of his 19-year career playing for, and thinks the 11-time NBA coaching champ offers the franchise "someone with a brand."

"Having him is like taking a test and already having the answers," Oakley told ESPN. "You can't go wrong when his hand is involved in what you're trying to do."

ESPN reports Jackson and the Knicks are expected to finalize a deal soon that will give Jackson overriding control of the team's front office. Oakley predicts it won't be long before Jackson, who also has two NBA titles as a player, leads the Knicks from the depths of their 41-year championship drought.

"In this case, everyone's watching him like, 'What can he do? Can he pull the rabbit out of the hat again?" Oakley told ESPN. "He's done it with Michael [Jordan], Scottie [Pippen], Kobe [Bryant], Shaq [O'Neal]. Does he have one more left in him?

Oakley later added "all eyes are going to be on him. They don't call him the 'Zen Master' for nothing. We know he's going to have to put a great group together, whatever he tries to do. I know that he's going to be successful because it's been like that. I know that he's going to always try to get the right pieces, but it's hard to get pieces now."

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