June 16, 2005

ZEN-MASTER RETURNS TO CLEAN UP THE MESS HE LEFT BEHIND

       This whole Zen-master qualification that escorts Phil Jackson with every step he takes is as much baloney as Kobe Bryant’s desire to be a family man and a team leader.  Jackson left the Lakers after losing the NBA Final in 2004 strictly because the money and the control weren’t there for him.  The Lakers chose to go a different route—and now, after that new route took them out of the playoffs for the first time in more than a decade the Lakers are more than willing to match Jackson’s desire for money and control.

       To apply the spiritual mantra to Jackson is an insult to all those who live their lives outside of practical needs.  Jackson wants the same things most average human beings want—money and control.  He wants to be paid more money than any coach in the history of the game—a level he believes he has reached because of his nine championships.  He also wants to be able to dictate the direction of the club without having to concern himself with those who want something different—namely Kobe.  Jackson doesn’t want to have to look over his back, or worry that any minute he will be called into the GM’s office and told to ply his trade a different way.  Jackson wants complete control—and now he’s got it.

       Think how badly it must appear to Kobe that the franchise reverses its path after initially choosing to follow him down the garden path.  The organization believed him, and paid him, to take them into the future—and more championships.  Instead the Lakers are in the lottery, and that’s insulting to a team that prides itself on success.  Kobe’s way lasted one full year.   The Lakers already have Kobe’s name on a long-term contract, something they likely wouldn’t have been able to accomplish if they didn’t accede to his demands and rid themselves of the two stalwarts that led them to three straight titles—namely Shaq and Phil.  The Lakers can’t get Shaq back, but they have the money to lure Phil back, and they did.  Kobe will just have to adjust--that is until he decides that he has had enough, pulls a Vince Carter and demands a trade.  The Lakers are confident that Kobe would never leave the glitz and glamour of L.A. so that possibility is moot.

       The Lakers are further away from a championship now than when Phil signed for his first tour of duty in L.A.  This team has a dearth of front-court talent, doesn’t have a quality point guard and, beyond Kobe, lacks any young athletic bodies.  This turnaround will take a couple of years.  For Phil it marks a stark contrast—both times his new teams, the Bulls and the Lakers, were on the verge of a championship.  This Laker team is not. For the first time he is taking a job that is more about building for the future than winning right now.  The only negative that has followed Phil is that he coached stacked teams, and that many other capable coaches would have won just as many titles.  This was the only challenge left for him.

       Can Phil turn the Lakers back into a championship contender?  It’s hard to say.  It will depend a lot on how the club drafts, how many quality players they can sign in the off-season and whether Kobe can finally put his ego in a basket and follow his coach’s directions.    There seem to be too many questions for the turnaround to happen as quickly as one season, but the Lakers can compete again down the line.  And since there is little chance of the New York Knicks being competitive it is a result that makes those in the NBA office smile.  The league needs the Lakers in the playoffs.