Written by: Dustin Malcolm
Queen was never the same after Freddy Mercury died. No one could quite embody his flashy style or emulate his vocal range. The band was never able to reach the same level of success without him. Laker fans have been blessed with the presence of an iconic “front-man,” in head coach Phil Jackson. But the question that stands at the forefront of our minds for next season is, “Will we get our ‘lead singer’ back?” Could the team reach the NBA Finals without him? The argument for wanting Phil back is bulletproof, just look at all the records he holds as a head coach. Success always finds Phil Jackson’s teams, so can the Lakers find the same success without him?
Mere days following what many of this generation’s Laker fans will consider the greatest experience of their basketball lives, we find ourselves back in the year 2004. This particular year was one Lakers fans would rather forget, as it represented the temporary displacement of a dynasty and the implosion in the balance of greatness.
After a devastating loss to the Detroit Pistons in the NBA Finals, the Lakers appeared down for the count. Legendary coach released The Last Season, which detailed the rather “uncoachable” battle he experienced with star Kobe Bryant. The climax of the Shaq vs. Kobe feud became the catalyst for a slippery slope of events that led to the big man being traded to Miami. Residual effects from a prolonged assault trial temporarily tainted Bryant’s legacy, and Karl Malone and Gary Payton, who took rather significant pay cuts for the opportunity to win that ever-elusive title, only to come up short and leave the Lakers looking rather old and beat up.
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All of these things are of course in the past, but there is one question that looms again six years later. Will Phil be back? It is unquestionably a different atmosphere in Tinseltown this time around, fresh off a thrilling seven game series with the hated Boston Celtics that ended in the second of back to back championships for Los Angeles. Laker fans argue that the answer is a no-brainer. Why wouldn’t Phil come back at the opportunity to add to his unparalleled legacy? With more championships than any other coach in the history of the NBA, the 2010-2011 season would mark the opportunity for his 12th championship.
Also looming is the possibility of his fourth three-peat, of which many coaches would kill to have just one. But amongst his many accomplishments that will forever litter the record books are the intangibles he brings to the team. The “Zenmaster” has often been touted as the best coach at managing star athletes and the egos that follow. There simply aren’t enough words to detail the value of Jackson to the Lakers, but there are crucial reasons why Laker fans will hit their knees in valiant prayer this week, by the end of which Jackson’s decision on his future should be known.
1. His Ability to Manage the Stars
I think I speak for all fans when I say that last off-season’s acquisition of Ron Artest made Lakers Nation nervous. His history against Kobe Bryant in recent playoff runs was still a warm memory in the minds of many. But following what can only be described as an awkward encounter with Kobe in the showers after the 2008 NBA Finals, Artest eventually found himself in the purple and gold so many NBA players covet. During a magnificent run to the 2009 title against the Orlando Magic, Laker chemistry appeared to be a thing of beauty. So when Artest hopped on board, league-wide concerns rose of whether or not he could assume a lesser role and mesh with the defending champs.
While the only thing offensive about Ron’s game during the regular season was his inability to find the basket, he proved to be huge in pivotal games of the playoffs, namely Western Conference Finals Game 5 against Phoenix and Game 7 of the Finals. Many of his post-game interviews included the admission that he still hadn’t figured out the triangle offense, but with the exciting close of an amazing playoff run by the Lakers, many forgot this concern. I think it’s safe to say Ron would struggle without Phil being able to incorporate
him into the triangle. No other coach could teach Ron at this stage of his career, with his mindset. While they had their struggles with each other through the media, Ron fit safely into the Lakers rotation and made them a top notch defensive team.
For the hardheaded Artest, things such as Jackson’s unique team meditation sessions proved to harness his passion for the game and translated into a championship. Further, with rumors swirling about interest in controversial players like Raja Bell, fans should fear for team chemistry if it is to exist without Jackson’s coaching skill. With enigmatic names such as Rodman, Artest, Jordan and Bryant under his belt, Laker fans must be confident that no other coach could direct individual talent as well as Phil.
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2. Jackson’s Relationship with Kobe Bryant
Following the 2004 season, Kobe and Phil’s relationship resembled that of a bitter divorced couple. It was no secret that Kobe, in the prime of his career, wanted a team to call his own. After a painful 2004-2005 season that ended in the first Laker playoff miss in eleven years, fans everywhere exhaled a breath of relief with Phil’s return for the 2005-2006 season. The relationship between the two has since become a thing of beauty; Kobe’s maturing leadership and immersion into the triangle coupled with Phil’s mastery of allowing players to work through difficult game scenarios has become a two-headed monster that few teams have been able to counter.
It has become so blatantly clear in the past two championship runs through on-court embraces and media sessions that the two have come to rely on each other for success, much like Phil and Michael in Chicago during the 1990’s. With Kobe’s cold-blooded basketball personality, he trusts no one person more than he does Phil, and has said so numerous times in the past two weeks. A healthy Kobe plus an always composed Jackson could be the only thing that brings another three-peat to Los Angeles.
3. His Implementation of the Triangle Offense
For the past few seasons, the Lakers have been nothing less than an offensive juggernaut. Opposite of common “run and gun” strategies that are implemented by teams like the Suns, the Lakers are methodical in their attack when in a half-court set. A long time student of famous triangle architect Tex Winter, Phil excels with teaching the triple post and it’s obvious in every game. This offense is widely known as being one of the hardest to master, yet Phil has. His title teams in Chicago and Los Angeles are testaments of how an accomplished triangle thrives above all other styles, but its intricacies could prove to be a headache to any new coach and could reflect on the Lakers’ performance.
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If nothing else, Phil’s dedication to teaching the game to his players sits above that of all other coaches. In the 2001 Finals against the Sixers, Phil paid extensive attention to detail by forcing former Laker Guard Tyronn Lue to wear a compressive sleeve during practice. Widely considered a typical PJ mind game, the combination of the sleeve and Lue’s corn-row hair style were actually for simulating the game of Sixers Guard Allen Iverson. Phil has shown his willingness to go above and beyond to assure that his players succeed, leaving us to question if any new head coach could perform at the same level.
Lakers Nation has been collectively holding their breath ever since the final buzzer of their Game 7 victory, hoping Phil will be back to bring Los Angeles yet another title. During the next week while his health is processed and he reflects on the year at his home in Montana, we can only hope that in June of next year, we are celebrating a Laker three-peat.
While embittered Celtics loyalists such as Boston’s own “Sports Guy” Bill Simmons refuse to give credit to Jackson’s achievements, (Simmons was quoted in an ESPN chat after the Finals saying Boston’s Red Auerbach was still better than Jackson, even though Phil owns 11 titles to Red’s 9) there’s no denying that the Celtics were just the latest victim to fall to PJ’s prowess and skill as the greatest coach the NBA has ever seen. The only question Lakers Nation should want to concern itself with after this long
week is, “Who’s Next?”