Phil Jackson Smart to Pass on Orlando Magic

From Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel:

“Magic CEO Alex Martins was formally presented on Wednesday with a scenario involving Jackson by Sam Vincent, who played for the Magic and Jackson.

“It drew some interest from Phil,” Vincent said. “But in the end, Phil decided to go with another opportunity.”

Jackson is apparently headed back to the NBA in some capacity, but he pulled out here before Martins had a chance to run it by owner Rich DeVos. Martins learned of Jackson’s exit Thursday, but would not comment.”

Whether or not Jackson truly has another gig lined up is irrelevant. He was smart to sidestep the chaos and dysfunction that has become the Magic franchise. Because, until Dwight Howard’s future is set in stone, it’s only going to get worse.

The itch for Jackson to get back on the sidelines is understandable. He has proven to be one of the greatest head coaches of all-time and after a complete year away from the game, it’s hard not to imagine him getting an urge to return.

But Jackson would have been putting himself in a no-win situation in Orlando, the kind not even an 11-time coaching champion, like himself, could even salvage.

Howard is not going to re-sign with the Magic, too much damage has been done. Had Jackson jumped on board, he would have been asked to lead a fruitless effort to convince the center to stay and then been forced to pick up the pieces after he left.

Not exactly a picture-perfect return to coaching, is it?

Jackson is likely to have a bevy of other suitors at his disposal and if we are to believe that he spurned Orlando in favor of another opportunity, then it’s also likely that we find out soon enough.

But what’s important for now, is that Jackson proved, yet again, why he is one of the greatest basketball minds of all-time. He resisted the temptation to jump back into the fold immediately, knowing that this situation wouldn’t have ended well.

Say what you will about Jackson only coaching teams close to title contention, but there’s no denying his wit here. He would have been trapped in Orlando, in a prison that only the Howard-based soap opera could create.

And while we will most likely always remember Phil for his dynasties with the Bulls and Lakers—and perhaps another one to come—one of the most important decisions he ever made was walking away from the Magic, thereby refusing to allow the situation at hand to chew up and spit out another well-respected coach.

Well done, Phil Jackson, well done.