Phil Jackson surprised at being ditched by the Los Angeles Lakers – NBA Update
Hours after the Los Angeles Lakers fired Mike Brown as their head coach; rumours about the possible return of Phil Jackson to the franchise he once led to five championships started gaining momentum. The Lakers met Jackson on Saturday
and both sides set Monday as the target date for a potential agreement.
Between that meeting and Sunday midnight, the Zen Master had an understanding that it was his job to lose. But then came a phone call, a call from Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, who informed Jackson that the franchise had
hired former Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks coach Mike D’ Antoni for the post.
Naturally Jackson was stunned after being told that the Lakers “felt (D'Antoni) was the best coach for the team."
The most successful coach in the history of NBA however dealt it gracefully and thanked the Lakers fans for all the support and anticipation surrounding his return;
"The decision is of course theirs to make," Jackson said in a statement. "I am gratified by the groundswell of support from the Laker Fans who endorsed my return and it is the principal reason why I considered the possibility."
With a superstar roster, P-Jax was being considered as an ideal man to take over. Firstly, he is a master tactician who knows how to assert himself, and secondly Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol know his philosophy and are adept in his
offensive system, the ‘Triangle Offense’. That offensive system was however not compatible with the new stars in the team, Steve Nash and Dwight Howard. Nash in particular would have struggled to adapt as the system demands lesser contribution and innovations
from the point guard.
Jackson’s return might also have been affected by the purported rumours that he wanted more say on the basketball matters, a lucrative financial demand, and permission to skip some of the road games. Jackson however made it clear
that the details of the contract were never discussed on Saturday and he infact sent his agent to meet with the Lakers on Sunday.
Todd Musburger, P-Jax’s agent, later confirmed to ESPN that there were no demands from Jackson whatsoever;
"There were no demands, outrageous or otherwise," he said. "To say that he wanted control or that he wanted a zillion dollars or that he wanted equity, those were not topics discussed in the meeting between Kupchak, Buss and Phil.”
By preferring D'Antoni over Jackson, the Lakers have certainly taken a big gamble. Whether it pays off or not remains to seen, but we can be sure that the Zen Master will never coach the Lakers again.
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