[pete_b]

Is Phil Jackson still one of the best coaches in basketball? When he was with Chicago he got a lot of attention when he brought the Bulls to a Championship. Sure the Bulls had Jordan but it took a good coach to bring a team around him. Also when Jackson was with the Lakers he was praised for having such an immediate impact on the team and keeping them at the championship level. Is Phil just a victim of poor talent and upper management or is he part of the reason why they aren't even in playoff contention right now?

[Lefty Noob]

This may not be a popular opinion around here, but I don't think he's ever been that good, personally. He got a lot of credit for the results of the hard work of his very talented players and for the Triangle Offense, which isn't even his invention. He deserves some credit for putting the pieces together, but I for one just don't see what all the hype is about.

[Wizard of Os]

Cheers!

Who else in the history of sport has ever earned so much and yet still has his abilities questioned and derided?

Let's be serious, all. The man has nine rings. Nine. That should speak for itself. Red Auerbach had guys like Russell, Cousy and Heinsohn and nobody ever talked smack about "if he didn't have X, he wouldn't have won all those titles" or "i could win a championship with X and Y on my team." In baseball, Casey Stengel won seven titles in twelve years when all he had to do was wind up his Yankees and let them launch long ones all afternoon. He's in the hall of fame; who denigrates him for his 1962 Mets?

The fact of the matter is Phil bagged six rings with the Chicago Bulls. Doug Collins (who for some reason is still considered a good coach) collected exactly zero in three years with Jordan, losing in the playoffs all three years.

The fact of the matter is Phil bagged three rings with the Los Angeles Lakers. Ell Harris (for there is no "D" in the man's alphabet) took an ohfer for five years (three with Shaq and Kobe), despite getting into the playoffs five teams.

As for Phil this season, he's been given a losing cause but he won't walk away with a losing team. The Lakers went 34-48 last year. This year playing a game transparently built around feeding Kobe they are sure to eclipse this mark. Plus, the purple-and-gold guys are learning to play defense again. What Phil is doing this year with the Kobe situation is admirable and clever beyond what most people realize; i wrote a little about this in another forum.

As a Laker fan, squeaking into the playoffs this year will be further confirmation of Phil's genius.

[legend]

Jackson is alot like Joe Torre, he will never get any credit because his teams were "supposed " to win. However, the key to winning with talent like these two have had is more in keeping the team together and focusing on the goal. It is managing egos and pride and people, something that very few coaches can do. Name the last coach that won anything with a team devoid of talent.

[Lefty Noob]

Good point, legend, but the point is that I think Torre does a better job of managing egos and pride than Jackson does. He keeps the Yankees focused and reasonably relaxed considering the pressure they're under, does his absolute best to stick up for the guys he knows he needs and does all he can to keep George at arms length. Phil had the entire Laker situation implode on him, and ultimately had to pen "The Last Season" as a catharsis. Now if he wins a ring -- no, if he even wins a playoff series -- with Kobe and the seven dwarfs? Then I'll change my tune.

[Wizard of Os]

Cheers all.

The ever awesome Sports Guy over at espn.com brought up the subject of the Zenmaster in a recent interview:

... Isn't it strange that NBA teams keep hiring and firing the same types of coaches -- either former players who end up being overmatched or college coaches who fail for a few years, then run back to college with their tails between their legs? And yet, someone like Jackson -- and Gregg Popovich, to a lesser degree -- has shown that the best NBA coaches are always the ones who:



A. trust their players and allow them to think on their own
B. know how to manage egos
C. keep things as simple as possible
D. are smart enough to avoid having head cases and bad apples around who could potentially undermine them
E. seem to connect with their players on a level beyond just player-and-coach?


Being a great NBA coach is like being a great college professor -- the best professors challenge their students intellectually, figure out ways to connect with them individually and have enough charisma that students rarely tune them out but, at the same time, those students still have to get the work done. And yet, there's something in those great professors that makes the students want to do the work. You rarely see that dynamic with NBA coaches and players, and I'm not sure why.

The rest of it is here.

[Nitch]

What is it with Phil Jackson is he really that great of a coach. Red Auerbach is the best. Jackson has all the piece all the best players in his other chips. Barry Bond could coach the great bulls to the finals. I admit I am impressed with the Zen master this year with such a gorrible team.

[Nitch]

Why did phil lose with the Malone lakers? If his so good a clown coach like Nelson could have done better.

[Wizard of Os]

Phil didn't lose with the Glove/Malone/Shaq 'n' Kobe Lakers. Yes, they had problems throughout the year that year, but some of it was due to Malone's injury and Shaq's general beat condition. Even the Glove came around to the triangle (which he found restrictive to his style of play) by the end of the season.

And the fact of the matter is that they made the championship that year. The role players played their roles well (evidence Fisher's 0.02, the last great moment of the Shaq 'n' Kobe era), and they beat the Spurs, always the test in recent years to get to the finals. Perhaps they didn't drop a four-and-out on them, but the Lakes outplayed them in the end.

The championship was a disaster. Kobe told everyone to "talk to the hand," L.A. panicked trying to get into sync with Kobe's improvising. Shaq told the media during that season, "I don't know why you guys don't report what you see." What they should have seen was a squad seemingly unable to feed the ball into Shaq after game one, despite the fact that he can burn Ben Wallace when given the opportunity.

I don't know why Kobe chose to subvert the team rather than win a fourth, but the blame cannot be pinned on Phil. Plus, look at the team this year: folks are talking about them making the playoffs when last year they were a joke. Does Lamar make that big a difference? Nah.

But Dr. Phil does.

[Wizard of Os]

Originally Posted by Nitch

Barry Bonds could coach the great bulls to the finals. I admit I am impressed with the Zen master this year with such a horrible team.

Here is it again: "Anyone could have coached the Bulls." Sigh. Really? How about Doug Collins? And i'm sure Ell Harris could have coached them to the finals, too, if Jordan went for 55 a night and the Bulls scored 150 while not playing a lick of defense in the classic Harris style...

[Nitch]

Originally Posted by Wizard of Os

Phil didn't lose with the Glove/Malone/Shaq 'n' Kobe Lakers. Yes, they had problems throughout the year that year, but some of it was due to Malone's injury and Shaq's general beat condition. Even the Glove came around to the triangle (which he found restrictive to his style of play) by the end of the season.

And the fact of the matter is that they made the championship that year. The role players played their roles well (evidence Fisher's 0.02, the last great moment of the Shaq 'n' Kobe era), and they beat the Spurs, always the test in recent years to get to the finals. Perhaps they didn't drop a four-and-out on them, but the Lakes outplayed them in the end.

The championship was a disaster. Kobe told everyone to "talk to the hand," L.A. panicked trying to get into sync with Kobe's improvising. Shaq told the media during that season, "I don't know why you guys don't report what you see." What they should have seen was a squad seemingly unable to feed the ball into Shaq after game one, despite the fact that he can burn Ben Wallace when given the opportunity.

I don't know why Kobe chose to subvert the team rather than win a fourth, but the blame cannot be pinned on Phil. Plus, look at the team this year: folks are talking about them making the playoffs when last year they were a joke. Does Lamar make that big a difference? Nah.

But Dr. Phil does.

If phil really is the best coach he could have control this a great coach would have never let such a talanted squad dtererate to what it did