There’s a lot going on with this season. The Lakers don’t look interested, Kobe is shooting too much at times, Pau Gasol is huffing and puffing, Lamar Odom seems to want to be on TV a lot, the weight of all the expectations, and on and on and on.
There seems so much uncertainty and chaos surrounding the Lakers. Then you look at the side-lines and you see Jackson, who is simply a sea of tranquility. He’s that way because his travels have made him so. He knows the answer isn’t panic trades or anything erratic or something that can be answered on a 30-second “What’s wrong with the Lake Show?” clip on SportsCenter.
When one has an understanding of his team, as Jackson does, it only requires a dabble of the finger into the well to create the waves needed to make the change.
Jackson used something Artest loathed to spur him to his best game of the year. It’s what he does. And if any man can navigate these turbulent waters for the next three months—it’s Phil Jackson. (And if you happen to doubt that, then put on some shades sometime and take a glance at his fingers).
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