So some of you critize Phil because hes 3-9 w/o Shaq? What was the Rockets record last year without their best player (Francis)? What was the Rockets record when Hakeem missed alot of games? Does that make Rudy less of a coach too?
Phil still has an all-star caliber player to formulate a game plan around,with Francis gone Rudy just had a team of role players.
Nobody's calling Rudy the best coach of all-time, are they? Why does Phil need Shaq, when he has the amazing triangle? I just wanted to see some great coaching from Phil w/o Shaq. I wanted to see why so many think he's the best coach ever. So far all we've seen is below average coaching at best. Almost any coach in the league could get to 3-9 with that LA team, but Phil's supposed to be the best, right? So what's up?
Lakers are built around Shaq (not Kobe). Lakers offense runs through Shaq (not Kobe). The lesser players on the Lakers depend on Shaq to make them better (not Kobe). A team loses its best player, who also happens to be the most dominant player on the planet and they suffer because of it. So this is poor coaching? I can see blaming Kobe, because based on his performance this season, its obvious hes not the elite player people thought he was. This is not Phil's fault nor is it a negative reflection of his coaching abilities.
Phil knows Shaq is coming back any day know and he knows it doesnt matter what seed his team has in the playoffs. If they have a healthy Shaq and a healthy Kobe. They are the team to beat. So why would Phil change his coaching philosphy and offensive structure to win with Kobe instead of Shaq for just 10 games?
Oh I guess we are wrong ..Phil is the greatest coach..just wait till shaq comes back and he'll prove it
Again, despite what the media says, I am not saying nor do I feel Phil is the "greatest coach". I would put a couple of coaches ahead of him with regards to that. Hes still a great coach though. All I am trying to do is refute the arguement that hes really a poor coach because of what has transpired this year. Not including Kobe, the Lakers are shooting 37% so far this year. They have no legitimate center. I would lend more credence to these factors than I would towards Phil's coaching abilities. Kobe is averaging 6.5 assists a game. Ive watched 4 or 5 of their games this year. Kobe is getting his teamates open shots, they arent hitting them. I would venture to guess that even if Shaq missed the whole season, the Lakers would eventually get it together and finish close to, if not above .500. I couldnt seem them finishing 21-62 (their pace so far this year) even Shaq never came back.
It figures some would look at it that this means Kobe is not Top 5 or Phil sucks. What this shows is that Rudy didn't actually suck last year. That's all it shows, imo.
I'm not saying Phil sucks. I think he is nothing more than an average coach that's benefited from having great players.The offense isn't his but he is supposed to be a great "motivator" ..I don't really buy that hype either because both teams had guys who were very vocal leaders and did a great deal of motivating their teammates. Yea, we know shaq is great,how does this help the argument that phil is a great coach ? There are 28 other teams that don't have "the most dominant player on the planet ". He has enough talent that he should still be able to win at least half of his games..The contention that he doesn't really care to put in the effort, because he knows shaq will come in and save the season, just reinforces what I think of him.He should care about every game and try to find a way to win with what he has, because there is a great chance that shaq will miss even more time.
Gee...Shaq comes back, they make the 2nd or 3rd seed in the West, win it all, and Shaq will take the Regular Season(edging out Tmac) and Finals MVP. Phil continues to talk out of his @ss and sound as if he knows things about basketball that no one else in the universe can comprehend. It's futile to discuss this, and a lot of it has to do with "today's" players. You have to be lucky to get someone as determined and skilled as a Jordan or Kobe. No matter what the coach does, it's up to the GREAT players to build themselves up. Unless the coach is a complete moron that doesn't know the difference between a freethrow and a three-point shot, those GREAT players will lead you to victory.
it is simple IF HE GETS THE ACCLAIM FOR THE WINS then HE GETS THE BLAME FOR THE LOSSES if this is because Shaq is out. .. then the championships are because of Shaq . . not Phil Rocket River That would make Phil, just a pippen . . .er. . coattail rider
So it would be wise to totally revamp your offense philosophy just to win a few more games despite the problems and struggeles that change would cause when you have to revert to the old way of doing things? Besides, those fans know Shaq will be back and they know when that happens, the Lakers will be the team to beat. Im sure 10 games doesnt matter much to them. Shaq was originally supposed to miss the first 5 games. So I dont blame Phil for revamping their style of play. Again, the Lakers have struggled, not because of Kobe, but because of poor shooting as a whole. Go look at the Lakers stats. Kobe .419 % is the best one on the team with the exception of a couple of scrubs. You cant blame coached for missed open shots. Well Shaq didnt win a ring till Phil came along. Jordan didnt win a ring till Phil came along. So the whole coattail rider thing is just unfair to the coach and the players. It takes a great coach and great players to win titles. It goes hand in hand. Great coached dont win titles unless they have good personel. Great players dont win titles unless they have a coach that puts them in a position to maximize their talents. Its a two way street. =)
Why do you keep saying Phil would need to "revamp" the offense in order to win without Shaq ? That makes no sense considering they are supposed to be running a triangle offense. Isn't the basis of the triangle,to allow multiple players to get open looks ??? Maybe if Mr. Zen could get his team to actually run the offense they would have won a few more games.The three games I saw involved very little triangle and a whole lotta Kobe one on one.
Ding, ding, ding! We have a winner. Another point that should be added to this ... Phil Jackson, Pat Riley, Don Nelson, and Larry Brown are all great coaches. But there are a lot of different skills involved in coaching, and so there are a lot of different ways to be a great coach. For example, the current Miami Heat and the Shaq-less Lakers would be a lot better off with Don Nelson or Larry Brown coaching them. But come playoff time, the Mavericks or Sixers would be better off with Phil Jackson or Pat Riley coaching them.
