Phil J vs. Rudy T

Why are you surprised? Phil Jackson is beloved by the media, he will get a lot of leeaway where Rudy T wouldn't. Besides, he's beloved in LA, he has a winning history there (three rings to be exact).

That's just how it is, that's life for coaches in the NBA.

 

I think a lot of that is because the post-Rudy Lakers sucked last year. They were 10-29 under Frank Hamblen. If the team had continue to play decent ball, the fans would be looking at this year's record as a big drop-off, and would be pizzed off. Instead, it looks like an improvement.

Last year, many people seemed to expect Odom to be seemlessly worked into the lineup so that they even without Shaq they'd remain an upper-echelon team. When that didn't happen, the lost patience quickly (Angelenos are not the most patient sports fans). Funny how, a year and a half into his co-existence with Kobe, Odom *still* can't seem to find a way to fit in very well.

 

I think Phil gets slack from the Laker locals because he won 3 championships there. Is that such a surprise?

 

It shouldnt be a surprise. But if you cant win with Kobe, Shaq, Malone, Payton/Fisher, then somebody should be negative about the guy.

 

It's easier said than done. Kobe and Shaq were together 3 years before Phil. Then he shows up and they win 3 straight championships. It's easy to say nobody should have been surprised, but he's the coach that took them to the promised land before injuries and the Kobe vs. Shaq feud undermined Phil's authority & destroyed their team chemistry.

Honestly, I wasn't surprised by them winning with Phil because I felt he was the one guy who could get Kobe & Shaq to listen, play hard and concern themselves mostly with winning instead of who was highest in the team pecking order. Not many coaches could have done that. Plus, Phil's pet system, the triangle, was perfect for them.

The year with Malone & Payton wasn't Phil's fault at all. How can you fault a guy for coaching a team to the NBA Finals? In addition, Payton was a disappointment and Malone injured his knee in Game 2. If Karla were healthy against the Pistons, the outcome could have been different. Even so, that team was so divided and full of dissention, egos and personal agendas that I thought Phil did a great job. If the Nets hadn't run out of gas in the last 2 games of the ECFs, Phil would have his 10 championships.

 

Rudy did pretty good with the Shaqless Lakers. I think what he did is at least comparable to what Phil is doing now. In fact, I would even say that Rudy could have won several championships with Shaq and Kobe.

 

phil gets (probably too much) slack in LA for the same reason rudy got (probably too much) slack in houston - titles.

titles are to be appreciated, but they don't give you a lifetime mulligan...be it rudy, phil, kc jones, or whomever. consistent evaluation is a good thing.

 

Phil is getting too much slack? So tell me, what is he doing wrong this season with the Lakers? How many more games should they have won with that pathetic lineup of misfits, underachievers and Kobe?

 

you misunderstand me. i'm not saying he's doing a poor job this year. i'm saying that people are more willing to give him "the benefit of the doubt" or "more time" or "more leeway" in a situation because of who he is. i, actually, think he is doing an admirable job this year.

 

This Laker team is far less talented then the one that took the court last year, the Kwame-for-Caron trade was an absolute steal for the Wizards, and yet the Lakers are two games above .500 -- with 18 to play and 11 coming at home.

Last year, the Lakers were the second-worst team in the NBA in terms of defensive efficiency. This year, they're 18th. Not great, but they were a top-10 team until late December.

I don't recall anyone slamming Rudy T. This is a strange thread. Rudy is beloved by the press, who eat his "aw shucks" stuff up, while Phil Jackson is more or less mocked at every oppurtunity (Zen, dis and dat). Writers can't stand Phil, they think he's smug and chafe at the idea that a basketball coach would dare pretend to be more well read then someone who writes for a living.

 

The previous coach got run out of town after half a season - Phil came in and had basically the same record after the same amount of time. Either he should've been run out of town as well, or some people's expectations of their team were out of whack.

 

OK, maybe you knew a lot more than me about the Lakers last year. I thought I followed them fairly closely via the LA Times and one of the Lakers forums. Rudy wasn't run out of town; he ran out of gas. Laker basketball is a pressure cooker, much much much more than here. Probably a distant 2nd behind the Knicks. Rudy couldn't handle it. He couldn't handle Kobe. He couldn't handle the glare of such a hot spotlight on everything a Lakers coach does. Even with all that, the critics weren't all over his case that I can remember. Are you saying it was the fans or the press that blasted him? Seriously, I don't remember him getting roasted that much. He just wasn't up to the job for health reasons. From what I understand, there was also some organizational dissatisfaction but the Lakers organization is rife with cliques and divisions and someone is always grumbling. They never should have let Jerry West leave.