As some of you might recall I wrote a blog at the beginning of the baskeball season giving 5 reasons Phil Jackson would coach the Los Angeles Lakers this season. Although my logic was sound I didn't anticipate how deep rooted the discord between Jackson and owner Jim Buss really was. At the end of the day it was ego that kept him from returning to the Lakers one more time. Now Phil is in demand once again. Rumors have swirled that Jackson has been contacted about the Brooklyn Nets coaching vacany. It's an attractive coaching gig, but maybe not the one Phil ultimately ends up with. I have a sneaking suspicion if the Knicks don't advance past the 2nd round New York's other team may come calling. Here are 5 reasons Phil Jackson will coach in New York next year.
1. Phil is ancy. If the winningest coach is NBA history says he wants to coach again it would only make sense for all teams with a vacancy to inquire about his interest in coaching their team.
2. The Laker debacle. It serves to reason that teams around the league saw what happened to the Los Angeles Lakers after they passed on his services and won't make the same mistake given the opportunity to sign the Hall of Fame coach.
3. Phil likes superstars. Although Phil Jackson has an impressive coaching resume let us not forget he wasn't exactly turning water into wine in Chicago or Los Angeles. He's coached 3 of the 50 greatest player in NBA history and Kobe Bryant, who if they did the list today would certainly make the cut. The Knicks have Carmelo Anthony and the Nets have Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. It's not like he'd be trying to take the Minnesota Timberwolves to a NBA title.
4. Billionaire owners have Egos. Both James Dolan and Mikhail Prokhorov have shown in the past they are not afraid to spend money and the salary cap doesn't include coaching salaries. Either owner would undoubtedly overpay for his services if he said he was interested in the job.
5. There's no place like New York. Phil has roots in the city that never sleeps winning a championship with the Knicks in 73' and relishes the opportunity to be the center of attention and the topic of conversation. There's no place on planet Earth where he would get more media coverage than coaching in the Big Apple.
Brooklyn is the front runner to land Phil Jackson next season, but if he can stay patient for a few weeks his options could increase dramatically. I think the Knicks are a better fit for Jackson, but the timing is delicate. Anyways it goes he will be coaching in New York next year.
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