And you thought Dwight Howard was indecisive.
Phil Jackson remains a sought after head coach. How could he not? He’s won 11 titles as a sideline stalker and in 20 years on the job, he’s never once coached a team to a record below .500. Teams want that type of resume in their locker room. They want a coach with that kind of clout meandering in the sidelines.
When reports surfaced that Jackson was “itching” for a return, you could just hear NBA teams scribbling pink slips to hand to their incumbent coaches. Every organization would want a chance to sign Jackson.
But there was a catch. Jackson didn’t want to return as a coach, he wanted to work in the front office. Though there was a belief that he could be swayed, he recently turned down the Brooklyn Nets’ coaching offer, giving further merit to the rumor.
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com, however, Jackson hasn’t ruled out a return to the sidelines; he’s still willing to coach. The Zen Master will only do so, though, if he has some control over the roster. She compared it to a Pat Riley-like situation. And if that proved unattainable, Jackson would have no problem staying retired.
Phil turned down Nets, but source tells ESPN he’s still open to possibility of coaching if he “has say in the roster.”
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) May 8, 2013
If he doesn’t have influence over franchise, source says Phil might just stay retired for now.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) May 8, 2013
If he doesn’t have influence over franchise, source says Phil might just stay retired for now.
— Ramona Shelburne (@ramonashelburne) May 8, 2013
I can’t say I’m surprised. Jackson has pretty much mastered the art of coaching and winning championships. There’s nothing really left for him to do. He arguably only jeopardizes his legacy by returning to the sidelines. Unless of course, there’s something in it for him.
Giving Jackson control over the roster, perhaps a stake in whatever team he signs on to and even the promise of a front-office position upon retiring again isn’t unfair. He’s earned it by now. And quite frankly, it’s the only way a team will get him to return to the sidelines.
It’s pretty obvious why Jackson turned down the Nets job. Though Brooklyn might not have been willing to give him ample say in their decisions, you have to imagine that it had more to do with their roster inflexibility. It didn’t matter if he had a say in the personnel decisions because the Nets are capped out to the high heavens for the next three years. Significant moves of any kind would be unlikely.
We’ve also got to understand that there isn’t a team out their looking for a coach that’s primed to win a title already. A situation like that is so incredibly rare. None of the teams with vacancies fit that bill. The Los Angeles Clippers may eventually fit that description if they decide to part ways with Vinny Del Negro, but for now, mostly lottery-bound factions are in the hunt.
At that point, why would Jackson want to come back? He’s used to coaching for championships, not serving as a mentor for a rebuilding faction. Hence, the sweetening of the pot.
If a younger team–or any team for that matter—is interested in Jackson (and they should be), they should offer him that kind of control just to get him back on the sidelines. That’s the only way I see him taking a lower profile gig.
Of course, hiring him would not come without risk. He could decide to retire suddenly or want to transition into the front office sooner rather than later, but this is Jackson we’re talking about. He coached the Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan to six championships, and Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers to five. How do you pass that up, even with the risks involved?
Unless you’re the Lakers—who seriously just needed to move on—you don’t. You can’t. And I doubt anyone would.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
