Knicks Fire Stu Jackson

NEW YORK - The struggling New York Knicks fired coach Stu Jackson today and replaced him with former Phoenix and Dallas coach John MacLeod.

``We felt a change was needed to improve the performance of the team,'' said Al Bianchi, vice president and general manager of the Knicks.

The Knicks are 7-8 and have lost five of their past six games.

Bianchi and MacLeod have a long relationship in basketball. Bianchi was MacLeod's assistant coach for 11 seasons at Phoenix. He tried to hire him as Knicks coach in 1987, but MacLeod had already committed to Dallas and New York hired Rick Pitino.

After two seasons, Pitino left the Knicks for the University of Kentucky and was replaced by Jackson, one of his assistant coaches.

The coaching change brought with it a change in playing styles from Pitino's running game to a halfcourt concept under Jackson.

The Knicks finished third in the Atlantic Division last season with a 45-37 record and upset Boston in the first round of the playoffs before being eliminated by Detroit.

Throughout the recent losing streak, when rumors about Jackson's security surfaced, Bianchi endorsed the coach.

But Saturday's 113-96 victory over Charlotte was just the third in eight home games for New York this season and ended a three-game home court losing streak.

MacLeod, 53, ranks fifth among active NBA coaches with 675 wins.

Jackson played college basketball at the University of Oregon and Seattle University, and was an assistant coach at Oregon, Washington State and Providence.