Phil Jackson is returning to the Lakers.

[11 Bravo]

Get ready for another Kobe circus.

[grumpy old fart]

1. Won't much matter unless Shaq is coming with him....IMHO

[Tempest]

5. They can't even trade for a center

The Lakers are so far over the salary cap, it'll be 3-4 years before they can even offer more than a token salary to a player of any caliber.

[fob]

2. Wasn't he just acquitted of some serious charges?

Give meeeeeee
Giiiiivvve meeeeee
One more michael jackson thread
One more thread
And once that thread is read
Please, Please shoot me dead!

Sorry, so much to be outraged about and I'm turning this into a MJ thread, but I just can't help it! Wooohoooooo! Just the girls!

Give meeeeeee
Giiiiivvve meeeeee
One more michael jackson thread
One more fucking thread!

[RBHam]

3. Who's going to play defence?

Jackson better send the WHOLE team to a Shao-lin Monastery.

He'll need all the spiritual help he can get.

[LostInAnomie]

12. HA HA HA HA "Defense" HA HA HA HA!!!!

Who plays defense in the NBA!?

That's like saying the refs better start calling "traveling".

[Tempest]

23. The Spurs and the Pistons are two teams that excel in defense

Both teams keep opponents under 90 points a game.

And so far in the Finals, the Spurs have played the best defense.

[RBHam]

30. Bruce Bowen has put the clamps down on Hamilton.

Duncan and Wallace are the two best defensive centers in the game. It's no secret they're on teams in the finals.

The Pistons don't have a Bowen to stop Manu Ginobilli...

[Tempest]

33. As I said before the Finals started

If the Pistons don't do a good job of getting Hamilton off the pick and roll, he'll never shake Bowen.

It seems to me Hamilton is also step slower in this series than he was against the Heat.

[Tempest]

4. Two reasons why Jackson is back with the Lakers

1) His girlfriend refused to leave L.A. and the Laker organization. She specifically said she would not move to Cleveland if Jackson took the Cavs job (which would have been a better move for Jackson).

2) The money.


Everyone knows the Lakers have no talent other than Kobe, and his stock is rapidly diminishing. There's too many young players of Kobe's caliber without the baggage. Several of them are playing in the Finals (Ginobilli, Parker, Hamilton).


The chances of Jackson even getting to the playoffs in the Western Conference in the next 2-3 years is a very long shot and his chances of getting the Lakers to the Finals is non-existent.

[RBHam]

6. I wonder...

Trade Kobe for a couple of top draft picks...clear up cap room to pick up some veterans who've played his system before...suffer for a couple of years...somehow shit gold form his arse one more time...

Hey, why did he announce this just before the draft?

[Tempest]

7. No one would pick up Kobe's salary

Especially after his prima donna routine last season.

[gratuitous]

9. Never underestimate the Blazers

And their ability to shower money on has-beens and never-weres.

But this will be interesting to see Zen Master Phil actually try to coach a team without the two best players in the league. I predict Jackson will actually disappear into his own ego when his 20-47 Lakers are pitted against the Charlotte Bobcats and no one even notices.

[alarcojon]

15. I'm with you

Let's see what Phil can do without MJ/Scottie or Shaq/Kobe. Maybe he'll pull a Larry Bird and quit when his team still sucks.

[LondonReign2]

20. Yup, we've already seen what will happen

Remember the two years MJ decided to try basketball? Bulls out of the playoffs early in year one, didn't even make the playoffs in year 2 I believe.

[RBHam]

21. Indiana didn't suck, and Larry Bird moved upstairs to GM.

Quit? After guiding them to the finals, they sucked?

mmmm...rrrrr...hum?

[alarcojon]

38. OK, how about this

He quit as coach because his team didn't win it all. He couldn't settle for anything less.

I'm not trying to hate on the Pacers. Phil will have FAR less success than Bird had, and I think a .500 season or two and he'll be hating his decision.

[drdtroit]

40. He will redefine "pissing and moaning"! n/t

[MN ChimpH8R]

17. Having seen Jackson's

GF on TV, I can't say that keeping her happy would be a bad thing. ;) It would certainly be on top of my list of priorities were I in his shoes.

If there's a way to get rid of Kobe (the only bigger egomaniac in sports is the loathesome Barry "BALCO" Bonds), Jackson will find it. As noted below, the Jail Blazers will pick up just about any troublemaker/locker-room cancer. Hell, I think even JR Rider played for them after the Lakers let him go.

[gratuitous]

19. JR Rider, Shawn Kemp, Rasheed Wallace, the list goes on and on

Detroit's about to find out that as long as you don't depend on him or expect it from him, Rasheed Wallace is a wonderful player. As soon as you need his 20 points in a game to win, he's gone. The Pistons' meltdown in Game 2 against the Spurs shows me that while Rasheed has largely figured out that an out-of-bounds call in the second quarter doesn't decide the game, he's a carrier of that particular virus, and his teammates are now infected with the compulsion to fight the officials instead of the other team.

So long, Detroit. You got a gift last year when you were allowed to put the coup de grace on a disintegrating Laker team. Enjoy the last championship trophy that the Eastern Conference will win for a while.

[erpowers]

25. Not True

I contend that Shaq is a bigger egomaniac than Kobe. Shaq is the guy that for years boasted about being the best center while complaining that players hit him while he was in the paint. This is the guy who never missed an opportunity to promote himself by either saying he was the best center ever or by making comments about how he built the Staples Center(as in play). He did not say he was the best center now, but that he was the best ever. Also this is the guy that caused a little controversy when he falsely claimed that he had slept with Cindy Crawford and Venus and/or Serena Williams. In addition, this is the guy that actually slapped Kobe. I do not know about you but I myself have never heard Kobe claiming to be the best guard ever to play basketball. In addition, I have not heard him claim that he slept with women he did not sleep with. I think Shaq is a much bigger egomaniac than Kobe.

It seems that people are letting him off the hook because he decided to play the role of the victim in the L.A. trade. It seems that people fail to remember that Shaq said before he was traded that he did not want to play for L.A. after Jackson left. Shaq himself said that playing for the Lakers after Jackson left would be like him leaving his wife to marry a woman that look like him. So before he was traded Shaq was saying he did not want to play in L.A. I think he was either angry that the Lakers traded him or that they did not beg him to stay with the Lakers. As someone else said I will not be surprised if Shaq turns on Dwayne Wade if the media starts paying too much attention to him. I contend that it was really Wade who played a larger role in getting the Heat to the playoffs.

[Tempest]

29. Shaq may be a bigger egomaniac, but he got the job done

Just look at the Laker's record in Shaq's last season with them. When Kobe was out, the Lakers won. When Shaq was out, the Lakers lost.

And then there's last season to go on.


>>Also this is the guy that caused a little controversy when he falsely claimed that he had slept with Cindy Crawford and Venus and/or Serena Williams<<

As opposed to Kobe's big controversy in Colorado which endangered his playing career, and affected the Laker's season.


>>he decided to play the role of the victim in the L.A. trade<<

If you knew the inside story of the trade, you'd know Shaq was the victim. Jerry Buss had the opportunity to offer Shaq a contract, but didn't. How is it Shaq's fault Buss never even bothered to contact his agent? Not once.


>>Shaq said before he was traded that he did not want to play for L.A. after Jackson left<<

He later recanted before the end of the season.


>>I will not be surprised if Shaq turns on Dwayne Wade if the media starts paying too much attention to him<<

You obviously don't live anywhere near Miami.

The media already pays more attention to Wade than Shaq. Much more.


>>I contend that it was really Wade who played a larger role in getting the Heat to the playoffs<<

Maybe so, but teams don't win without a dominant center.

Just ask the Lakers.

[erpowers]

35. I Disagree

Something else people fail to mention is that the Lakers did not just lose a center they lost an entire team. Not only did Shaq get traded, but Rick Fox retired, Robert Horry went to another team, Karl Malone retired, and other people went other places. I think Jackson has a good chance to win a championship in the next few years. In Miami it seems that when wade was out the team lost and when Shaq was out the team still won, especially in the playoffs.

I do not agree that a team needa dominant center to win championships. If that is the case how do you explain Chicago winning six championships? Who was their dominant center? I contend that a team just needs to have a fair amount of good players.

As far as his recanting what he said that does not negate the fact that he said that. I think Shaq may have only recanted what he said later because he realized that the Lakers were not going to beg him to stay. I contend Shaq really thought that the Laker would beg him to stay or get rid of Kobe to make him happy. When that did not happen he decided to play the victim. In addition he refused to lose weight while he was in L.A. As far as Kobe sex trail he did not go out and claim to have had sex with people he had not. He did something stupid, but he did not try to destroy people reputation in order to make himself feels good and then say it was a joke. That is what Shaq did.

[Tempest]

37. A couple of things

>>but Rick Fox retired, Robert Horry went to another team, Karl Malone retired<<

Fox hasn't been productive for several seasons, Horry never fit in the triangle offense and Malone only played 28 games the entire season, and he was ineffective when he did play. Losing those three did no harm to the team, as a matter of fact it helped them. It freed up enough salary cap room to get Odom, who was the only bright spot in a dismal season.


>>I contend Shaq really thought that the Laker would beg him to stay or get rid of Kobe to make him happy<<

Shaq made it clear he knew if it came between him and Kobe, Kobe would be the one to stay. He made those statements before the end of the season.


>>In addition he refused to lose weight while he was in L.A.<<

Let's see how well you do losing weight with a chronic foot injury and with a re-occurring thigh bruise. And despite those two injuries, he still managed to average more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game.


>>As far as Kobe sex trail he did not go out and claim to have had sex with people he had not<<

Which was more damaging to the team and their season?


>>but he did not try to destroy people reputation in order to make himself feels good<<

WHAT THE FUCK???!!!

I guess you missed where Kobe claimed Shaq paid women for sex during the time he was on trial, later admitting he was wrong in trying to bring Shaq down.

Now who's the one trying to destroy a person's reputation?


You can make all the contentions you want, but the evidence isn't behind you.

[erpowers]

41. Reply

Yes the evidence is behind me. The major thing is that he said them. If he wanted to stay he should not have made the comments. I think after he made those comments he realized that they (the Lakers) would not beg him to stay and then maybe decided to change what he said. I did miss what Kobe said. For you to say that Fox was not productive is crazy. He was actually productive. Losing Fox and Horry did hurt the team. Those guys were both there when they won their championships. You may not remember, but it was Horry who hit some major three pointers at the end of games to help the Lakers win in the playoffs and to win in the championship games. So Horry may not have fit into the triangle, but he definitely helped the team and look who is back in the championship game. He was able to lose the weight after he went to Miami even with those same problems. I think Kobe average more points per game the last year Shaq was in L.A. in that there was a long stretch where made 40 points a game. The point about which is more damaging to the team is irrelevant in that we are not talking about who damaged the team more we are talking about who has a bigger ego. You never heard Kobe trying to promote himself by claiming to have slept with women he had not. In addition, when I made the comment about destroying a person's reputation I was talking about the women.

[erpowers]

42. New Article

You claim that Shaq said that he wanted to leave L.A. before the end of the season. Therefore, I will direct your attention to a news article out today that states that Shaq said he wanted to leave L.A. the same day that it came out that Phil Jackson was leaving the team. So Shaq actually did say he wanted to leave L.A. after the season.

[GreenArrow]

8. over-rated

If he's such a good coach, why not go to the Hawks?

[LostInAnomie]

10. Unless they get some more major league talent it won't make a difference.

And "Showboat Kobe" shooting 50 shots a game ain't going to cut it either.

I'll be interested to see if Jackson can actually win anything without a squad full of superstars. If he can't I think his coaching credentials are seriously in question.

[74dodgedart]

11. Crap...I was hoping he would go to the Knicks

[DODI]

13. Me too.

I miss the Knicks.

[grumpy old fart]

14. He must really love the girl, 'cause she just screwed him big time....

Cleveland was the perfect job for Phil. Screwed up Owner, but with a franchise on the rise in the weak East the with th next Michael Jordon and another top draft pick coming. Lakers are goin' nowhere in a loaded Western Conference for some time to come.

[Tempest]

24. Agreed

Cleveland has a young superstar who's a real team player (unlike Kobe) and no baggage (unlike Kobe). Cleveland also has enough salary cap room to build around James.


The Lakers are way over the cap and even if they dumped several salaries would still be over the cap the way the contracts are structured.


Like last season, the Clippers will have a better seasons than the Lakers in the next few years.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

16. Another celeb sex scandal for the media?

Not being a jockwatcher, what's his story? Naaah, nevermind. It'll probably dominate the media and we can stick with Wheel of Fortune for more intelligent entertainment.

[Bethany Rockafella]

18. BFD.

[Strawman]

22. I'm sure this is all we'll hear about tonight on the Finals pregame

Fuck the Lakers. Glad I'll be at the game so I don't have to watch it on TV.

[Tempest]

26. Are you a Pistons' fan?

If so, my condolences in advance for your Finals loss.

:evilgrin:

[Strawman]

27. Yes. Are you a Spurs fan?

If not, my condolences on your team not even being in the Finals.

If so, I gotta give credit where credit is due. The Spurs are playing awesome. And it's a shame all you'll hear about tonight is Phil and Kobe from the celebrity/personality obsessed sports media.

[Tempest]

32. Yup, Spurs fan

Back from the George Gervin days. I've done my share of suffering.

I don't watch the pre-game crap, and pretty much tune out the announcers. I seem to know more about what's going on than they do anyway.


And what's the use of being in the Finals if you're just going to get blown out? ;)

I felt the Heat matched up with the Spurs better than the Pistons.

I predicted a 4-1 Spurs series win.

[Strawman]

34. No

The Heat were all banged up and really only a two man team to begin with. Even though they might end up sweeping the Pistons, they would have swept the Heat for sure. But don't get too cocky. The Pistons beat the Heat and only brought their A game to about 2 of those games. If the Pistons win tonight it will be a 6 game series at least, if not it will be a sweep.

I love the Iceman too. He's a Detroiter. My Dad took me to see him play the Pistons in the 80's near the end of his career. He was still a great scorer then.

[MadHound]

28. Well, now we'll get to see if Jackson can really coach.

And personally, as a Lakers fan, I hope that Jackson bites the bullet and does the right thing, get rid of Kobe.

It will be interesting to see if Jackson can build a team up from nothing and take it to the finals. I hope so, but somehow I doubt that it will happen. Phil himself has even admitted that that sort of gig isn't really his thing. He would really rather be the guy who meshes a group of superstars into a team, not building a team from the bottom up.

[lies and propaganda]

31. Hooray for the Fakers

Phil Jackson is lame lame lame for going back to them. Much like their season will be.

[RBHam]

36. Hooray for the fakirs.

I wonder if Phil will resort to the hookah.

[Zech Marquis]

39. why phil WHY?

After seeing what Kobe has done over the past year, I still cant watch the Lakers, unless it's the Heat beating them down :evilgrin:

[Robeson]

43. Kobe aside, I agree....Why?

[aaronbees]

44. I think it's the ultimate challenge...

for Phil Jackson, and that's why he wants it.

He has to negotiate a troublesome student in Kobe who's hard to reign in for playing a team game, no matter his brilliance on the court. He has to resurrect a team he left and, like it or not, helped leave in shambles. If the knock on him has been that he can't seize and rebuild a team, what better chance to prove doubters wrong and pass Red Auerbach? And seriously, where else would he have gone? (Actually my vote would've been Cleveland.)

That said, I'm not sure this experiement will succeed.

Anyone catch the "Phil or Philospher" segments on Cowherd's espn radio show this morning? priceless...