Take Kobe from Jackson, then we’ll see if Phil can really coach

By Rick Morrissey
Chicago Tribune
October 26, 2007

Some of us—the dark, cynical people who haunt this planet—would like to see Coach to the Stars Phil Jackson take on a real challenge.

That challenge would be to coach a team that did not have a slam-dunk Hall of Famer or two on the roster. It’s why we’re rooting for Lakers owner Jerry Buss to trade Kobe Bryant, the best player in the NBA, for several good players.

And let old Phil coach ’em up, as coaches like to say.

You would think this might appeal to someone like Jackson, who always is seeking lofty mountains, spiritual peaks and the kind of highs that come only through much effort or excellent soil.

Jackson would point out he hasn’t exactly had an All-Star team the last two seasons, and he would be correct. He also hasn’t gotten very far in the playoffs. Surround Bryant with the likes of Luke Walton and Lamar Odom and there’s no need to have a discussion about whether the victory parade route should wind past Grauman’s Chinese Theatre.

But the one thing that is not on Jackson’s résumé is “builder.” No matter how much he has accomplished, he always will be looked upon as the coach lucky enough to have had Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O’Neal and Bryant on his various rosters. It’s hard not to be considered obscenely rich when your name is Rockefeller.

Bum Phillips once said of Don Shula, “He can take his’n and beat your’n, and he can take your’n and beat his’n.” You would be hard-pressed to find many people who are positive Jackson could take your’n and beat his’n. Unless your’n included Kevin Garnett, Dwyane Wade and Steve Nash.

Jackson’s historical nemesis, Red Auerbach, probably would have run into the same trouble, but he never seemed quite as calculating as Jackson. When Jackson was considering his options after his Bulls days were over, he went to the team that was loaded with talent. He wanted nothing to do with the Nets, who wanted him badly but had the unmistakable look of Loserville. That decision made Jackson no different than any other clear-thinking coach.

But it left open the door for those of us who wonder how much skill it takes to lead some of the greatest players in NBA history to victory.

If the Lakers traded Bryant to the Bulls for Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng, wouldn’t it be delicious to watch Jackson try to mold a team out of some very nice, but not great, talent?

It’s hard to picture anyone winning a title with the current Lakers roster. You have a lopsided team with Bryant in one corner setting up shop in his own vast universe. It limits Jackson, and it’s why Bryant can score 81 points in one game, as he did in 2006. But give Jackson a near star such as Deng, a very solid pro like Hinrich and some other good players, and perhaps we’ll have a fairer idea of just who and what Jackson is.

Some of us have had our fill of hearing about Jackson’s abilities as master psychologist, as the only guy who could make Kobe and Shaq coexist and the guy who could get Dennis Rodman to put down his eyeliner and mirror in time for the game. While not to completely disregard the Dr. Phil skills, we would like to see exactly how deep the Coach Phil skills run.

Fielding a team without a superstar is a challenge.

If Jackson indeed likes to challenge himself, there has to be a part of him that would want to see Bryant go. Any trade involving Bryant would have to involve some decent talent, enough talent to allow a determined coach to begin the arduous task of molding a winner.

Jackson has all those championship rings, nine of them, but wouldn’t it be fascinating to watch him operate without the glitz of big stars on his team? It’s not as if gold-standard players tarnish a coach’s image. But they do make you ask questions about his ability.

So we might get to see what’s under Jackson’s mask. Is it a coach or a maitre d’?