What a cold, hard and calculated move to say this now, especially with the drunk driving thing hanging over Buss. And taking yet another public shot at Bynum is inexcusable IMO. The two already have enough problems with each other. How will the kid ever listen to another word PJ says? They may be forced to trade him now. I strongly dislike the Lakers. But the last couple of years, PJ has gone way down my respect meter because of his public feuds with so many of his players. Maybe Buss and PJ deserve each other. Unbelievable theater. I wonder what Jeannie Buss thinks about this. BTW, this is a very well-written article. The Chronicle should snag this guy to replace Lopez. http://www.latimes.com/sports/baske...p07,0,3801544,full.column?coll=la-home-center From the Los Angeles Times BILL PLASCHKE Phil's finally in Kobe's corner -- and it's bad for Lakers Jackson's expressions of support for Bryant's criticism of management do not help the team, and Buss deserves better. Bill Plaschke September 7, 2007 So Kobe Bryant has finally found a wingman, somebody to stand beside him and blast away at the Lakers, blowing up bridges, burning down fences, two soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder in the fight for justice and truth. Good for Bryant, but bad for the Lakers. Because his wingman is, um, ah, er, their coach. Charged with healing this summer's deep wounds, Phil Jackson will apparently show up bearing salt. Instead of beating down the rebellious Bryant, he is apparently joining him. Two outlaws working together to steal the last remaining bits of Lakers sanity. Crybaby Cassidy and the Zendance Kid. Jackson made his views clear this week in a series of interviews that, in subtler tones, were just as indelibly damaging as Bryant's tagging spree of several months ago. Like Bryant, Jackson said that a member of the Buss family misled him. "We were promised by Jim Buss we'd have big changes," he told Petros Papadakis and Matt Smith on their KLAC radio show. "We've yet to see that. We're still looking for that." Like Bryant, Jackson intimated that Andrew Bynum might be more valuable as trade bait. "There's incredible pressure for that kid to step up and produce this year," he told the radio hosts, later adding, "He hasn't had the kind of success that generates the kind of press he's had." Finally, like Bryant, Jackson talked about the need for the Lakers to repair the relationship torn apart by Bryant. "I think actions are going to have to speak louder than words. . . ." he told The Times' Mark Heisler. "It's going to take some mending and other people in this organization have to be part of it, too." If you didn't know better, you would think that Jackson and Bryant shared not only a Staples Center bench, but a timeline for fleeing that bench. Actually, they do. Jackson is in the final year of his contract, and has said he will not agree to an extension offer until, among other things, he is confident that the Lakers can contend. Bryant, if he shows up and plays this season, would undoubtedly be traded afterward rather than be allowed to opt out of his contract before next season. In other words, they're both short timers who have lost their patience, which is no excuse for also losing their manners. While we have come to expect this stuff from Bryant, Jackson should know better. He's entering the Basketball Hall of Fame today, and rightfully so. He's the best coach in pro basketball history, period. Red Auerbach also won nine championships, but he did it with one team in easier conditions against fewer competitors. Jackson has won championships with two teams from two different conferences, with vastly different kinds of players, handling much bigger egos and many more distractions. More than any other coach, Jackson belongs in Springfield's hallowed halls. But when he returns to Los Angeles, he belongs in the Lakers' doghouse. There are 10 million reasons why. Jackson may own basketball history, but the Lakers still own him. Jackson's sense of survival may center around Bryant, but his sense of responsibility must lie with the team. By publicly ripping a club executive, he is engendering team distrust. By refusing to fully support Bynum, he is breeding team insecurity. By standing so strongly alongside Bryant, he is weakening every corner of a locker room that already fears Bryant. When Bryant whines, he is only hurting himself. When Jackson whines, he hurts everyone. Think it will be harder to make a fair deal for Jermaine O'Neal, now that the head coach is publicly forcing ownership's hand? Think it will be harder to coach Bynum, now that the head coach has intimated Bynum won't be ready in time to help Bryant win a title? Oh, and during a summer when patriarch Jerry Buss was torched by his best player and later pleaded guilty to drunk driving, does it really help alleviate the perception of family chaos when his daughter's boyfriend publicly embarrasses one of his sons? I never thought I would say this about a man who I still feel wrongly traded Shaquille O'Neal and backed Bryant and brought much of this upon himself. But Jerry Buss, who has given this town many more glorious springs than nasty summers, deserves better. He deserves for Mitch Kupchak to finally realize he should trade Bynum and Lamar Odom for Jermaine O'Neal and a chance to win now. He deserves for Kobe Bryant to realize he should just keep his mouth shut about all that. More than anything, he deserves to know that Phil Jackson will settle his superstar instead of inciting him, and publicly support his ownership instead of undercutting it. Jerry Buss needs to know that the Hall of Fame's newest coach will once again act like, you know, a coach. Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke
"There's incredible pressure for that kid to step up and produce this year," he told the radio hosts, later adding, "He hasn't had the kind of success that generates the kind of press he's had." Is it just me or is that not that bad. If anything, thtat's a very JVG-esque remark. I think the writer is just trying to be sensational.
Why not? The Lakers are a mess, and I'm not sure the team was THIS bad when Phil came on board. Since then, they've traded away Caron Butler. Caron-freaking-Butler. He won't be a superstar, but he's a borderline all-star and this team once had the core of Caron Butler, Kobe and Lamar Odom. That's better than New Jersey's troika of Kidd-Jefferson-Carter right there. And then they brought in Kwame Brown. Who looks just about as much like a professional basketball player as oh...Mike Tyson. Between Kwame and Chris Mihm, I don't think you can find a frontcourt pair with worse hands. At least Chris Mihm can shoot a decent jumphook. Then there's Bynum. Bynum's talented, no doubts about it. And he's genuinely improved while under the tutelage of Kareem Abdul Jabbar. But by all accounts, it seems like he's more contented with going at his own pace while basking in his "potential" than actually developing that potential. Stromile Swift anyone? If this were the east, they'd be a repeat of T-Mac's Orlando Magic teams. But this is the west, where 50 wins mightn't even get you home-court in the first round. Management HAS to do better for them to contend, but so far for a couple of years now, they've nothing to show for it. Do they seriously think Vladimir Radmanovic is going to be the help that Kobe needs? Naaah. If I were Phil and Kobe, I'd be pissed too.
not to nitpick, but caron butler isn't a "borderline" all-star. he is an all-star, he played in the game last season. that's my boy. uconnnnn. I do agree with your points though, lakers management = bad.
My bad on that, usually I can't remember who's in other than the obvious perennial choices. Chalk it up to my laziness to do a quick check before posting.
Plaschke's missing the bigger picture here. The Lakers are in disarray because Buss is attempting to pass the reigns of the organization to his son, whom no one respects and they do not want to work for him. Kupchak is playing the political game with Jerry's son, trying to keep his job and Kobe and Phil realize that the whole organization is starting to crumble and will go downhill unless Jerry involves basketball people and doesn't make it a family affair. Kobe and Phil, although obnoxious, are the smart ones. Those guys don't want to work for mediocrity and their track record allows them to not have to work for mediocrity. So, they are wielding a big hammer. More power to them, although I hope they fail and the organization stays in disarray.
Since you put it that way then OK. As an organization the Lakers have been crumbling. If Mr. Buss mislead PJ about what the Lakers were going to do, then he may be justified in coming out like this. But I still don't like Mr. Crankypants taking another shot at a young player he KNOWS is sensitive. His choice of words about Bynum appear to be mild but he knows what he's doing. Also, when you add up all of the public calling out of players PJ has done the last couple of years, it doesn't paint a positive picture of him, IMO. I think PJ has lost some of his touch.
Although I have zero love for the Lakers and less for Phil Jackson, I must confess he is outsmarting everyone on this one. With his new support of the rapist Kobe Bryant, Jackson remains on Kobe's "good side." At the same time, he drives down the value of Bynum, making him less tradeable and thereby ensures that he keeps a center of value around. Then, if things work out well, Jackson smiles and takes the credit. If things go awry, he shrugs and says "I told you so."
Bill Plaschke is the man, great on Around the Horn. Sigh, its a shame that no good sportswriter will ever want to go to Houston.
Seems to me much ado over basically nothing. I don't think it smacks of good journalism at all, more of making a mountain over a mole hill and a very 1 sided story where it kind of seems the guy is colored by his grudges. Even specific part of it are silly " When Bryant whines, he is only hurting himself." "When Jackson whines, he hurts everyone." So really, your star players attitude and involvent with teammates is insignificant? Some might even say the influence is greater than the coach, this is the leader on the floor after all. "By publicly ripping a club executive, he is engendering team distrust." Last I remember about Jackson and the Bulls was a complete totalt split between the executives and Jackson. Guess what, that team won a title and that friction never spilled to the team on the floor and coaches. Jackson and the players also proved right in their lack of appreciation, and the Bulls frachise imploded once he left and has take a decade to become respectable again.
A lot of the great ones call out players or anybody else that represents an obstacle and not an asset to their goals, Phil, MJ, Kobe, Riley, Shaq, Magic, Bird, they've all called out players, GMs, and coaches. Phil is trying to get Bynum to put up or get out. It's that simple. There is no place for mediocrity in the NBA. Their goal is to win a championship now, this year. It's a man's league, these guys are all multimillionaires. Phil and Kobe want hardware and they know they ain't got a chance unless Bynum turns into something special now, which isn't likely, or unless they can get shake the roster up. Hurting Bynum's feelings ain't important.
phil jackson is so overrated! he can't win crap without a ****load of all-greats on his team. now that he has only 1 star and a mediocre supporting cast, he can't coach them well enough to overachieve. go back to montana!
Phil Jackson makes alot of all stars. He needs intelligent players that are unselfish to play his triangle offense, and by doing that offense, alot of stars are created. And as history shows, he need a good low post player to win thats why he wants a good low post player now. Grant(91-93), Rodman(96-98), O'neil(00-02).
This Lakers situation is nothing like the Bulls. All of the players had PJ's back and the feud with Bulls management ended up being fuel for their fire. That was a veteran team that had been through wars together, was loyal to each other and everyone was committed to keeping a good thing going. It was a completely different environment than the current Lakers. Right now, I bet there are 5 or more players that would love to see PJ quit right now. You can blame injuries and the schedule all you want, but PJ lost that team late last season. His connection with several players was fractured. He shouldn't get a free pass on that any more than any other coach. I know most people disagree but PJ is past his prime. This became evident to me when the Lakers hit the skids in January. He was part of the problem. None of this changes the fact he's a Hall of Fame coach who's past accomplishments speak for themselves.
I agree entirely. The article has three quotes from Jackson, and they seem spliced together from within a conversation. Not only could they have been taken out of context, they really aren't scathing remarks at all: <table border=0 cellpadding=15><tr><td><table border=0><tr><td class="qBox">Phil Jackson: "We were promised by Jim Buss we'd have big changes. We've yet to see that. We're still looking for that." "There's incredible pressure for that kid to step up and produce this year. ... He hasn't had the kind of success that generates the kind of press he's had." "I think actions are going to have to speak louder than words... It's going to take some mending and other people in this organization have to be part of it, too."</td></tr></table></td></tr></table>Big deal. He didn't bash anyone at all. All the bashing is coming from the guy who wrote the article. And he seems to be taking Jackson's quotes out of context and blowing them way out of proportion. I hate the Lakers, but this is garbage journalism.
Pretty sure I'd take the title of the thread to mean that a lot of players were cut, including Bynum. And... ummm... nope. I had my hopes up. Speaking of a need for better writers, this guy is no improvement... and you could start by writing a better title.
Good point, you're spot on there. That definitely sounds JVG-like. Sorry, I'm finally going to disagree w/ you on something here A_3PO. In actuality there's no concrete statements that paints PJ directly in Kobe's corner, 'us against them'. And far be it for me to ever take Kobe's (or as this article believes, Kobe & Phil) side, but the Lakers really haven't done anything this offseason. Yes, I can go on and on about how horrible Kobe has been from a personality standpoint, but it's 07-08 now and the Lakers still have to do their best to recover from that travesty. And Plascke really went out of his way to take one quote on Bynum to make it seem like PJ ripped him. At least he got an article and a headline out of it. I'm not crazy about Plascke on Around the Horn either.
