Phil’s Not My Father

by Guichard Cadet

In contemplating a return to coaching, Phil Jackson has placed himself in the unenviable position of being seen as a weary, wayward traveler always in search of greener pastures. Jackson’s prior success with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers places him in the pantheon of coaching greats. Detractors are quick to point his success lies in his choosing teams where superstar players reside, bemoaning the fact that Phil may know Zen but he’s no master of the X’s and O’s.

When it comes to winning NBA championships, even Larry Brown, the great re-builder, had to go where the players were. Many label the Detroit Pistons as a team void of superstars, evidently using the label to mean “media darlings” and not players with well-rounded offensive and defensive prowess.

NBA coaches get fired quickly because hiring decisions seem to be child’s play or simply the luck of picking straws held in a closed fist. No job is deemed unworthy because there are so few available…that is unless you are Phil Jackson. Phil’s name has been linked to the openings in Cleveland, Portland, New York and Los Angeles; yes, the same Lakers team he walked away from last year.

Even if we were to suspend reality or ask for a do-over, can Phil really go home again? Some claim it is up to Lakers franchise player, Kobe Bryant. Laker VP Jeanie Buss told The New York Post recently, "Kobe is not the reason Phil is not the Laker coach."

I agree and disagree. True, Kobe does not write the checks and never said words to the effect that Phil Must Go!! Phil is not the Laker coach because Kobe’s mindset has always been Phil’s not my father.

Coaches play many roles, from manager, teacher, mentor to father figure. No matter the level of competition, a small part of a coach’s success relies on being seen as a father figure to his players. In Jackson’s case, he got to manage two superstars (Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal) who were not threatened to view him as such, mainly because they had close relationships with their own fathers.

Shaq’s case is unique in that one of his more famous songs has the refrain: Phil’s my father ‘cause my biological didn’t bother… He was speaking of his real life stepfather and not of Jackson.

After consecutive seasons of being ousted in the playoffs, Shaq’s choice for coach was none other than Phil Jackson. Why was Jackson unable to build such a bond with Kobe Bryant? There maybe countless secondary reasons underlying the general mistrust and competition that caused Jackson to state – in his book and the YES network television program, Centerstage – he and Kobe seemed to have been engaged in a form of psychological warfare.

From a basketball standpoint, the one that stands out the most is Jackson’s relationship with Scottie Pippen. Pippen has been branded as the best “second bananas” in NBA history. Though other basketball greats have relied on the likes of Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to win their championships, none has had to wear such a label.

Kobe wanted to make sure he would not be the second Phil Jackson player to wear that mark. From day one in Los Angeles Phil took a calculated gamble, in siding with O’Neal. It was a play he had made before in Chicago, winning 6 championships, and eventually causing Jordan to retire a second time, Pippen traded…and Phil off to ponder the great mysteries of life.

At the end of last season, NBA fans were privy to watch one of the greatest spin jobs evolve, to where everyone blamed Kobe Bryant for dissolving the Lakers dynasty. Forget that Jackson never thought that Dr. Jerry Buss, father of Jeannie, would refuse to pay him double-digit millions to coach. Foget that Shaquille O’Neal had run a similar ruse in Orlando after the Lil’ Penny commercials gave Anferne Hardaway crossover appeal.

Much of Kobe’s downfall in the eyes of fans and media is his refusal to be coddled. He smiled for the camera when times were hard, and could have simply ridden Shaq’s coattails to possibly another 3 championships. Instead he opted to be an unrestricted Free Agent and test the waters.

Jerry Buss had already done the math and knew, in this game, he was the godfather. He had won championships without any of them and knew he could again. Also, he had formed a somewhat paternal bond with Kobe – to the point where Kobe’s decision to stay with the Lakers came after Buss had already parted ways with Phil and Shaq. What is this thing called trust?

Now Phil is back and the word out: he wants a summit with Kobe. Or, is it Kobe wanting a sit-down with Phil? No matter how their meeting goes, whether he returns to coach the Lakers or take another prominent role in the organization, Jackson’s decision spells doom for Kobe. Phil’s words were “psychological warfare”.

Peace with Phil is not something Bryant shunned in the past; he just did not want to be second fiddle, or Shaq’s little brother.