5. What if Phil Jackson took over in 2012?
The most recent, and still most painful, “what if” surrounds the 2012 team. On paper, the Lakers hit a grand slam. They brought in Dwight Howard, which was almost expected that summer. However, they also brought in Steve Nash, which came out of right field. Paired with Bryant and Pau Gasol, the team looked stack.
The result was a disappointing 1-4 start from Mike Brown, resulting in his firing. The savior, as Lakers fans had begun to treat him, was called in Phil Jackson. Long story short, Jackson asked for the weekend to get his life settled, Dr. Jerry Buss and family balked and hired MIke D’Antoni, and the rest is history.
What if the Lakers hadn’t balked at hiring Jackson? We know Howard’s respect of Jackson, who certainly could have done a better job at managing the rocky relationships in the locker room, which saw Bryant and Howard square off at least once. Could he have saved them from all their injuries? Would they have been a title contender? Could Jackson convince Howard to stay?