Former Lakers Coach Phil Jackson was sleeping comfortably Saturday night when the phone rang. It was the Lakers. They delivered stunning news. Mike D'Antoni got the job, not him.
Jackson told his side of the story in a statement Monday.
“Saturday morning, [Lakers executive] Jim Buss called to ask if he could come and visit. I didn’t solicit or ask for the opportunity but I welcomed both him and [team executive] Mitch Kupchak into my home to discuss the possibility of my return to the Lakers as head coach," Jackson said.
“We talked for over an hour and a half. No contractual terms were discussed and we concluded with a handshake and an understanding that I would have until Monday [today] to come back to them with my decision. I did convey to them that I did have the confidence that I could do the job. I was awakened at midnight Sunday by a phone call from Mitch Kupchak. He told me that the Lakers had signed Mike D’Antoni to a three-year agreement and that they felt he was the best coach for the team. The decision is of course theirs to make. I am gratified by the groundswell of support from the Laker fans who encouraged my return and it is the principal reason why I considered the possibility."
D'Antoni signed a three-year, $12-million deal late Sunday night.
Jackson's agent, Todd Musburger, added that media coverage portraying Jackson as being full of demands was inaccurate.
Some Internet reports stated that Jackson wanted more front-office power and wanted to skip large swaths of road games this season.
"No discussion of those ideas being contractual terms or demands was ever made," Musburger said. "They had a full discussion of the club, the roster, the schedule, assistants, etc. But to allow someone either on their side or on D’Antoni’s side to make these allegations -- unsubstantiated and incorrect -- and incorrectly maligning Phil is so objectionable to us that the process would have concluded this way."
USA Today also reporting that Jackson's agent took a red-eye flight this morning to start negotiations. Can't believe the Lakers would have screwed over Phil... right?
"No discussion of those ideas being contractual terms or demands was ever made," Musburger said. "They had a full discussion of the club, the roster, the schedule, assistants, etc. But to allow someone either on their side or on D’Antoni’s side to make these allegations -- unsubstantiated and incorrect -- and incorrectly maligning Phil is so objectionable to us that the process would have concluded this way."
This is still kind of odd to me. D'Antoni's previous coaching gig was a disaster and he got fired mid-season. Yet you take him over the guy that won 5 rings for your franchise? Lakers are taking a big risk here.
This is still kind of odd to me. D'Antoni's previous coaching gig was a disaster and he got fired mid-season. Yet you take him over the guy that won 5 rings for your franchise? Lakers are taking a big risk here.
It's just weird to me that the Lakers wouldn't sign him if he didn't make all those demands. They clearly admitted they ****ed up by hiring brown, hence firing him after 5 games. So why would you go and hire Mike D'antoni, instead of Phil? Doesn't make sense, unless the demands were ridiculous. The Lakers front office is pretty smart, I wouldn't expect such a dumb decision like passing up Phil for D'antoni for the reason of "he's the best man for the job".
i'm not going to throw jimmy under the buss, but this here seems to fit very well with why things played out the way they did:
Quote:
Buss did everything possible to rid the Lakers of any post-PJ influence, firing holdover assistants and scouts. Would Buss be willing to swallow his arrogance/pride (along with a huge dose of crow), admit his egregious error, and rehire the Zen Master? Is Buss big-minded enough to do this?
Another consideration is that the two coaches Buss hired on his own recognizance (Brown and Rudy Tomjanovich) were awful. It's therefore clear that Buss's judgment in anything to do with basketball simply cannot be trusted. Left to his own devices, he will (and already has) transformed the Lakers from a perennial powerhouse to a joke. Yet Buss is still determined to prove (a la Jerry Krause) that organizations, certainly not coaches, win championships.
that was from charley rosen at hoops hype website. for some reason ISH is blocking it.
anyway, jimmy certainly wouldn't be the first guy who suddenly got control of a powerful organisation and wanted to put his stamp on it. even if it meant kind of thumbing his nose at what came before... and what had worked.
Phil Jackson Statement
