Phil Jackson = great coach ????

[ctownguy]

I just watched the news conference where Phil Jackson said that he may not be back next year to "coach" the Lakers. OK, let me get this straight. You go to Chicago, with Michael Jordan hitting the prime of his career. You win a string of championships where Michael and four fat drunk white guys could have won the championship?.Michael retires and the Bulls can't get out of their own way?.Michael comes back and you win two more championships. The Bulls disband as a team and you decide it's time to "retire" (as opposed to actually "coach" a team of players).

During retirement, you are courted by virtually every team that has a coaching vacancy. Low and behold, none of them are the "right" opportunity and you don't have anything to prove. (Translation: I don't see Michael to bail my ass out and I might actually have to work).

Then the Lakers come calling. With Shaq and Kobe at the top of their game (and arguably the best two players in the game, which oh by the way, were there when you got there) you win three more championships.

Then comes Detroit. You get thoroughly and completely out coached by a guy that actually can take players and make them better. During the series, you spend more time whining about calls than figuring out how to use the other 9 guys on your team. Now that Kobe's out of there and Shaq's on the downside, your "not sure" whether you'll come back. Of course you won't come back. Because without Shaq and/or Kobe, you may actually have to put down the bong, cancel your trip to the Democratic Convention, and coach, which without superstars, you cannot do.

Look, Del Harris had Shaq and Kobe and couldn't win. Is Phil a good coach? Yes. Is he the second coming of Red Auerbach? Not even close.

 

[Simply In The Red]

Uh-oh, I remember when I tried explaining this to a Bulls fan.

 

[Kdogg21]

no doubt the guys a great coach, but is he really that great. he has basically coached the 3 greatest players in the past 20 years. almost 4 if you figure Pippen was in his prime during those championships. he could of easily taken the job at New Jersey or Memphis, but he pussied out to take a team with talent. To be honest, i think Larry Brown is more of a better coach than Phil Jackson. At least he takes challenges and tries the best he can do.

 

[auspice]

Auerbach didn't have anybody with any talent during his tenture as coach. Damn he must have been outstanding. (sarcasm font on)

 

[Hoops]

Of course he is a great coach. Nine titles in thirteen years? I don't care who he had as players. Any NBA championship team is going to have lots of talent or a great player or two.

 

[auspice]

The better question to this years NBA championship series would have been: what was the last NBA team to win a championship without a SUPERSTAR player......tough one. I can't remember.

 

[maverick2112]

The better question to this years NBA championship series would have been: what was the last NBA team to win a championship without a SUPERSTAR player......tough one. I can't remember.

How about the Sonics team of the late 70's.....sikma,d.johnson.l shelton etc...(dennis Johnson was a damn good player)..............the other team between now and then had superstars

Celts- Bird
Lakers- magic
Bulls- Jordan
Rockets-Hakeem
Lakers-S and K
Spurs- Duncan
Pistons-Thomas

 

[auspice]

"How about the Sonics team of the late 70's.....sikma,d.johnson.l shelton etc...(dennis Johnson was a damn good player)..............the other team between now and then had superstars"
_____________


I agree. Lenny Wilkins really had that team playing together. Seems Gus Williams also was on that team. Good memory on your part.....great answer. I had quit trying to go through my swiss cheese brain of all the more modern teams to win. There's been such a stigma about needing 'superstars' to win NBA series (to get the calls at the end of games) that i'd almost thought we'd seen the last of them before this detroit team won.

 

[Scott4USC]

Well said ctownguy!

I want Phil Jackson out of LA along with the worst GM in sports, Kupcheck. Kupcheck has not brought in one player who has helped the team. Horrible horrible GM.

 

[yyz]

Shit, if the Lakers had won in 5, some you guys would be fighting each other to see who could suck his dick!

 

[TJBELL]

Shit, if the Lakers had won in 5, some you guys would be fighting each other to see who could suck his dick!

:scared :scared :scared :scared :scared

 

[Mr Hockey]

Of course he is a great coach. Nine titles in thirteen years? I don't care who he had as players. Any NBA championship team is going to have lots of talent or a great player or two.

I agree with you on this point.

 

[AR182]

if he doesn't go back to the lakers, maybe he'll feel like helping his old team & coach the knicks.

 

[Scott4USC]

I think the Kings would be a good fit for Phil Jackson. Adleman has done very good job coaching there but can't seem to take them to the finals. Tons of talent on the Kings. Who has a better starting 5 than the Kings? Bibby, Christie, Peja, Webber, and Miller and who has a better 6th man than Bobby Jackson? Maloof owners also could afford and prob. be willing to go over the luxury tax even more to help Jackson out and sign another key player to win that championship. Jackson won 3 titles in a row his first 3 years in LA. He could go to the Kings, win them a title and be one and done. Close the chapter.

 

[Mjolnir]

i believe he is a good coach. not great.
red
lombardi
landry
larry brown
john wooden
possibly parcells
to me these are great coaches. he was good using possibly the top players at their time. i think you would have to be a poor coach not to win with jordan and crew.

 

[Mr Hockey]

Phil has to be considered a great coach. How many coaches would die for one or two titles much less nine! I know some of you use the Jordan, Shaq etc excuse but ask yourself this; how many coaches have had great players & not won anything?

The list would be quite big imo.

 

[Kdogg21]

he'll probably take off a year, wait and see where kobe goes and than take over from there. dare he take over the Bulls again or the Knicks, that would be hard work. No doubt he is one of the best coaches of our time, but i think what he does best is getting teams over the hump. he knows he probably can't deal with a challenge and take a team with a losing record the year before and take them to the playoffs. i have this odd feeling though he might stay with the lakers for another year, but payton or malone gotta go.

 

[selkirk]

of coarse he is a great coach. count the rings.
my god... he actually got the most out of a talented team, is that what coaching is all about.

by the way when Jordan retired to play baseball, bulls had a winning record and had a good playoff run, not bad.

how many titles did the bulls win before he got there....how many finals did they make?

how many finals did the lakers win, how deep did they go in the playoffs. I guess he is a bad coach since they won the first year he took over as coach, for the lakers. They must have hit their stride when he took over. should he apoligize for that.

sure you need talented players, but it takes skill to get the most out of these NBA players. often there is a team that is loaded with talent that goes no where.

thanks
selkirk

 

[dawgball]

Phil Jackson is a great NBA coach. I don't think there is any question. People want to pigeon-hole coaches like this when they don't win. How long have you been waiting to scream this? 9 out of 13 seasons! That is almost Wooden-esque (and I'm not referring to our gracious host )

How many great college coaches have tried to make it in the NBA to realize that it's an entirely different ballgame? I think if Jackson coached in college, he would be greatly UNsuccessful, but to say he is not a great NBA coach is outlandish. The proof is in the rings.

I see Larry Brown was listed in this thread with the great coaches. :142smilie It is amazing how big of sheep people are. Larry Brown is a good coach, but he has ONE title. Great he is not! Phil Jackson losing his attempt to win his TENTH title in the Finals, and the masses are ready to sell him down the river.

Does anyone here have any hot tech stock picks? I want to join the herd!

 

[Kdogg21]

....but there is one thing Larry Brown has done that no other coach has done and that is win a NCAA Champ and a NBA Champ. of course cry baby Phil couldn't stick around when the Bulls were being broken up, god forbid he have to deal with the likes of Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler. and thats another thing that Phil hasn't done either, is taken a team with a losing record and the next season take them to the playoffs. Jackson can no doubt take players with be egos and ball hogging and put them in check, but i have yet to see him take a job where he doesn't have much talent and develop that into something good. no way that bulls or lakers would of won that many titles if he wasn't around, but im sure if somebody else stepped in, they could of still won a title. You figure the Bulls were in the Eastern Conferance Finals the year before Jackson took over and than 2 years later he took them to a title. than when jackson took over the lakers they had made the semifinals and the year before made the west finals. Jackson has the best ability to take a team and bust them over the hump. he is the best coach in the NBA to ever do that. almost Parcells like, but still Phil likes to pick and choose. Put him in the Charlotte Bobcats sidelines and he won't do squat...