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Phil Jackson coming back to coach the Lakers would be asinine

By Jason Reed

EL SEGUNDO, CA - MAY 11: Former coach of the Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson during a news conference at the Lakers training facility on May 11, 2011 in El Segundo, California. The Lakers were swept out of their best of seven series with the Dallas Mavericks four games to none. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
EL SEGUNDO, CA - MAY 11: Former coach of the Los Angeles Lakers Phil Jackson during a news conference at the Lakers training facility on May 11, 2011 in El Segundo, California. The Lakers were swept out of their best of seven series with the Dallas Mavericks four games to none. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Lakers are in a rough spot right now. So much to the point that Jeanie Buss and Kurt Rambis reportedly reached out to all-time Lakers great Phil Jackson for some consultation this season.

Jackson is helping advise Buss, particularly when it comes to Russell Westbrook and his poor fit on the Lakers — something just about everyone saw coming.

Jackson’s name coming back into the headlines has gotten some fans thinking, though. There has been some pushing on social media among the fanbase for Jackson to return to coaching after this season.

It is nearly a foregone conclusion that Frank Vogel is going to be fired unless the Lakers pull something out of nothing and make a deep run. And for some, the man fit for the job to replace Vogel as the head coach is Phil Jackson.

The Los Angeles Lakers hiring Phil Jackson to coach would be an asinine idea.

Look, there is no denying that Phil Jackson is an absolute legend and might be the front-runner in the greatest coach of all-time discussion. That being said, just because Jackson has put together a polished NBA career does not mean that he can return to coaching and having a positive impact on the team.

Sure, he is used to dealing with superstars as he dealt with some of the hardest superstars to deal with on both the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. The guy has experience coaching Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal. He knows what it takes to coach a star, and how to bandage up any potential problems.

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All that being said, Jackson has not been a coach in the NBA since the 2011 season. He was brought on as the president of the Knicks in 2014 but that lasted less than three years and did not work out at all.

I get that he is a great coach but it is really hard for someone to not coach in the league for over a decade and then come back and be expected to magically fix these problems. It becomes even harder to do considering the change in the league over the last decade-plus might be the most radical change over a 10-year period in league history.

Today’s NBA is nothing like 2011’s NBA and even in 2011, Jackson seemed a bit outdated. Not only has the league changed significantly since we last saw Jackson but he is also 76 years old! There is a very slim chance as is that he would even want to come back and coach at his age.

The Lakers hiring Phil Jackson would be the equivalent of the WWE bringing back old-time stars for nostalgia matches. Sure, seeing Goldberg come back and beat Brock Lesnar was cool, but it quickly grew old with the fans and didn’t do anything to actually grow the product.

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Phil Jackson returning would be fun at first, would quickly get old and fans would realize shortly thereafter that he should not have tarnished his legacy. It is not happening, nor should it.

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