So recently the the man has been mentioned for the Knicks coaching job. Rumor is the Knicks owner would be willing to pay whatever it takes to get Phil. If the rumor is of any truth he better be ready to spend. Most NBA insiders say it will take atleast if not more than what the Lakers paid him (around 12 mil per season) and that would be saying the coaching spot is very important. In my often bias opinion it would be worth every penny if they landed Phil Jackson. The Knicks have a bunch of talent, probably enough to win a championship. Of course I'm betting on Gaybron shrinking down to Labum status and choking again n again.
I don't think there's a big difference in coaches when it comes to x's & o's but there are some factors that make a world of difference. Every coach in the league knows how to run different zone defenses etc. etc. And yes every coach in the league could probably run Phil Jackson's patented triangle offense. Some of the things that can be a big difference between coaches are things like time management, understanding the flow of the game, and situational adjustments (especially defensive). The funny thing is that I think Phil is average at best with all of these things. But he is the absolute best at some other things that probably cover up his performance in those. His understanding of his players and his obvious abilty to manage the massive ego of an NBA star is unmatched. He also knows exactly how criticize without alienating officials. So how important is an NBA coach? It doesn't matter who the hell coaches the team if you don't have the talent. But if you have the talent to win big, it matters a great deal.
I really don't think Phil mattered all that much with the last 4 Bulls titles. I think his triangle offense was perfect for the players they had with Jordan but I think MJ would've won a few regardless of the offense they ran. I gotta give Phil some credit in the first 2 because his offense was fairly new and hadn't been studied much but we all know when it comes down to it, he had the greatest player ever! I think alot of coaches could've won multiple rings with MJ.
Now onto the Kobe/Shaq Lake Show. I give Phil alot of credit with all of those titles and especially with the two Kobe won WITHOUT SHAQ. Yes there are or were a few coaches that might have won it with that roster having Kobe and Shaq. The thing is I'm not sure they could've won 3. What Phil brought to L.A. was 6 rings of his own. They all bought in because of those championships. They knew they were gonna win titles when Phil arrived.
Now with eleven fucking rings it's even more powerful. The players know The Zen Master only coaches dynastys so it's time to listen and buy in. Whether you think he is a great coach or not, whether he had much to do with any of those championships or not, he has something that no other coach on earth has. He has the ability to show those ego driven stars his eleven fucking rings. And with that this is one coach that makes a huge difference.
Melo will respect Phil and with that roster they have the talent. No they don't have His Airness and they don't have The Black Mamba but Melo, Amare, Chandler & Lin is a really nice lineup. I would pay Phil whatever it takes and go get a title or three.
Great question. I would love to see Jackson come back one more time just to see what would happen. Could Phil zen his way to another title with the Knicks eclectic jumble of a roster?
ReplyDeleteThe Bulls era Phil Jackson can be credited with helping Mike to appreciate and use his teammates but I will always give 90% of the credit for those championships to MJ.
His first stint with the Lakers (despite how most Laker fans view the era now) was a team of complimentary players cleverly positioned around one of the most dominant players of all times...yes, I am referring to the Big Quandry, Shaquille O'Neal. With the emergence of Kobe as a reliable number two scorer, that team could have been coached by a basset hound and again, I hesitate to give any less than 90% of the credit to the combo of Shaq and Kobe (70% Shaq, 20% Kobe).
The second run with the Lakes (after his brief retirement and stint as a best selling Kobe trashing author) deserves more credit but was still a roster that many NBA coaches could have coaxed a couple of titles from. The formerly disgruntled Kobe, revitalized by a highly suspicious trade for Pau Gasol, along with the youthful Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom (disappointing as a first banana but among the greatest fourth options ever) fell just short of Phil's fourth three peat.
Ultimately, it is very hard to judge Phil Jackson's resume as a coach. Clearly, he deserves credit for winning multiple titles but, the counter to that is his level of difficulty. Replace him with an average coach over his career and how many titles would the average coach have won with the same circumstances? Coaching four of the most dominate and dedicated players ever to touch a basketball during the peaks of their powers? Very tough.
Agree with some of that. 11 titles is 11 titles. I think if Phil took over in Cleveland lebron would have a title. And prob wouldn't be known as a choke artist
ReplyDeleteI do agree with your larger point that Phil would be a good hire for the Knicks because he is one of the only NBA coaches that has leverage over even the Melo type stars.
ReplyDeleteThe other question though, how important was Phil to those titles, I think it's possible that the average NBA coach would have won, say at least eight titles with all his talent. It's also possible that some of the other great coaches could have won more than his eleven. His final years with Shaq and Kobe, that team was lost, soulless. If you give Phil credit for the wins, then it's okay to give him a little blame for the losses, no?
Perhaps a different guy could have kept MJ engaged and maybe they win eight titles? Don't get me wrong, not saying that would or could have happened. Just that if you start the what if game, anything is possible.
True. My opinion is that other coaches prob win just as many with bulls. But I don't see it with the lakers. Just my opinion but I think Phil has a unique ability to keep the ego in check enough to win titles. There's just no evidence that anyone else in bball these days can do what Phil does. Pat Riley maybe
ReplyDeleteAverage Coach-8 Phill-11 League Of His Own Zen.
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