Phil Jackson

[La Rosa]

PHIL JACKSON​

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There's a lot of things we can say about this man: some will say that he only won as a result of the talent on his rosters, others that he was a pot-stirrer, and yet others that the way he managed personalities in a sport where the coach's job in this regard is increasingly difficult qualify him as the greatest coach in the game's history. I like to side with the latter group: being able to tame a beast like Dennis Rodman to the point that he could be composed enough to help a rejuvenated Bulls team garner a second three-peat of championships, then adding the ever-volatile Ron Artest to an already championship group and doing the same thing again, are to me indicators of incredible skills in relationship management.

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While he can't take all credit for the Xs and Os, with the triangle offense mastermind Tex Winter so often as his side, the way he managed he motivate a playing group that had done it all so many times before, and had nothing left to prove, was remarkable. An incredible all-time regular season win percentage of .704, an all-time record 11 championships as a coach (he won more rings than he had series losses), and the guiding of one of the NBA's biggest markets, Chicago, to long-term, near-unparalleled success as the leader of the pack in the NBA's era of highest popularity growth, show just how this man had more influence than one man should.

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While, to the best of my knowledge, he hasn't "officially" retired, it seems the consensus that we've seen him coach in the NBA for the last time. Whatever your position on the Bulls and the Lakers, you have to admit, Phil Jackson was class as a coach. All the best to Phil in whatever his future endeavours are; I certainly hope he's involved in basketball in some way. What a career!

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Coaching Stats:
13 Conference Championships/NBA Finals appearances
11 NBA Championships
3 Three-Peats
7-times successfully defended a championship
1155-485 regular season record (.704)
333-229 playoff record (.688)
56 playoff series wins (just 9 losses)
72-10 record, best ever, as Bulls coach in 1995-96
610 wins, most in LA Lakers history
545 wins, most in Chicago Bulls history
Best single postseason in history (15-1, 2001)
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[Upgrayedd]

Won too many championships to throw out the "b-b-b-u-u-u-t-t-t he had Kobe/Jordan

He obviously was doing something right for an incredible long amount of time, we're talking about not achieving another 3-peat and people thinking about throwing the word "Team is a failure" out there

 

[peternorth]

thx for the memories PJ.

 

[djudd]

Will coach a team who can win a championship
Maybe nyc

 

[peternorth]

he wont coach again

 

[aaronm46]

mirin his coaching record and beards

 

[TheDoctor11]

I feel bad for him to go out that way. Deserves much better then that, up there with Red.

 

[magic.merkin]

Legend!

 

[Westy Bogan]

My final memory of Phil is making Pau Gasoft defend Dirk....

Always provided the LOLs did Phil

 

[Look2Me4Guidance]

What will happen to his ridiculously sized chair?

 

[Byron_Clanger]

Well done Philsy, now go have a nice long break

 

[Renegade]

**** off D'Antoni..... Hello Phil

 

[BABYBOMBERS2007]

A legendary coach.

 

[bkozican]

One of the greatest coaches in history.

 

[Rick18]

Simmons wrote a piece on him the other day, very cool:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/110513&sportCat=nba

 

[drd23]

Simmons wrote a piece on him the other day, very cool:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/110513&sportCat=nba

Was just about to post this. Great read and does a good job of laying out the arguments for why he truly is a good coach and more than just the beneficiary of having great players on the teams he has coached.

 

[La Rosa]

Simmons is always quality. Opened that read but will have an actual read of it when I'm not so tired. Quality writer, even if his book DOES reek a bit of Boston-homer-ism