The Los Angeles Lakers current roster is questionable at best but former Lakers’ head coach, Phil Jackson could just be the answer
With Kobe Bryant retiring after the end of this season, the Lakers are going to be losing one of the greatest players to ever be drafted into the NBA.
When successful, the Purple and Gold have always been equipped with a superstar, but unless something happens in the offseason, that doesn’t seem like it will be the case. This is where Phil Jackson comes into the picture.
If Jackson could help mold Jordan into the dominant player he was, similar to what he did with Bryant, perhaps he may also be able to work some magic with one of the young players on today’s roster. This isn’t to say the Lakers have the next Kobe or Jordan in the making, but Jackson could help one of them actualize their untapped potential.
What made Phil Jackson such a great coach was his uncanny ability to get the best of his players both individually and when working as a team. For example, Andrew Bynum was on his way to being one of the dominant centers in the league. However, when Phil Jackson left, Bynum stopped trying, and at one point, admitted that he wasn’t thrilled with the sport anymore.
Ron Artest was a former Defensive Player of the Year, but after Jackson left, he became less Artest and more World Peace. In both cases, age and health limitations played a huge role, but for the sake of argument, you get the point. Even Dwight Howard claimed that he would have stayed in LA if Jackson was the coach.
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If Jackson was to come back to the STAPLES Center, he would certainly have his work cut out for him but it would be interesting to see who he’d try to evolve into the superstar that the Lakers need.
It’s likely that Jackson would turn to D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle to attempt to replicate another powerful one-two punch, similar to what he did with Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, Scottie Pippen and Jordan, along with Bryant and Pau Gasol.
Jackson has not been with the Lakers organization since 2012, though he almost came back as the head coach prior to the Lakers awful decision to hire Mike D’Antoni. Since then, Jackson has felt a lot of resentment towards the Lakers organization, specifically towards franchise President Jim Buss which makes the rumors of his impending departure that much more interesting.
Sadly, since Jim Buss has taken over the organization, it seems that his focus has shifted to solely the monetary aspect of team, something the Lakers were never about.
What Buss fails to realize that when Bryant retires, his ticket sales will tremendously decline, and that fans won’t stick around to watch a losing bunch. With that in mind, the Lakers must do something, and quick, to get back on track.
Next: Phil Jackson LA Reunion in the Works?
Like they say, time heals all wounds, so hang tight Lakers fans, at this point, anything is possible.