From: "Berry, Mark S" <berrym@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: celtics@xxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Celtics Mailbag: Mike Gorman Answers more questions
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2003 10:46:41 -0500
You know, I don't like Phil Jackson. I think he's an arrogant ass. But the
guy can coach.
Has he had to build a team? No. But he never claimed to. He coaches them,
and you can't argue with success. Does he have the best players? Sure. But
so did Red. He had Russell and Cousy and the rest. It's not like he was
taking Hickory High to the mountaintop.
We're all defensive of Red and Jackson's assault on his coaching records,
but it's important to separate two things. Red will go down in history as
the greatest personnel man in NBA history. He built championship teams in
four decades. He's the best, and there isn't a close second.
But it's unfair to dismiss Jackson's accomplishments because he had the
best players when Red went to war with Russell - maybe the best ever. Did
Red stick around to coach the post-Russell Celtics? Nope.
Jackson does a great job of building his teams around his stars. He always
gets the most out of guys like B.J. Armstrong, Horace Grant, Steve Kerr,
John Paxson, Bill Cartwright, Ron Harper, Derek Fisher, Robert Horry...
Yes, he had Jordan/Pippen and Shaq/Kobe, but his teams generally play well
together, defend well and really execute well down the stretch. I don't
like the guy, but I respect what he has accomplished. He's a great coach.
Mark
--- --- ---
Shawn wrote:
I'll tell you who's not one of the top 5, 10, 15, or even 20 coaches in the
league. Phil Jackson. That guy does absolutely nothing. He has been the
luckiest coach in the history of the game. He has never once had to build a
team or develop players. He just steps into a situation where anyone could
win and he takes the credit for it. Jordan and Shaq have carried him to his
record... two players who were, (and still are, in the case of Shaq),
allowed to bend whatever rule they thought necesarry to be great players.
You want to carry the ball, travel with it, palm it, take 5 steps, push
people out of the way to give yourself room to get the shot off Mike? Sure,
go ahead, no problem.
You want to step over the line as you shoot free throws, stay in the lane
for 6 or 7 seconds at a time, push people out of the way just because
you're bigger and you can, push refs without getting tossed Shaq? Why not.
The league needs stars, after all.
You thinks Jackson sticks around when Kobe is traded, or leaves as a FA, or
ends up in jail.... and Shaq decides to retire? Of course he won't. He'll
quit and say the same tired lines he used in Chicago. "I need a break."
"I'm mentally tired." The reality of the situation is he realizes he
doesn't have a clue how to coach. He wouldn't have the foggiest idea how to
get young players to play or how to develop them. He has one skill, and
that is developing chemistry on a team and between stars. Although even
that is coming into question this year.