The ZEN Dr. is back in town

[walls]

phil jackson has just signed a deal which will have him heading the lake show for at least three years.

will he be able to turn around this newly frailed franchise?????????

[knvb]

Seriously? Why the hell is he going back to the Lakers if he didn't coach this year? Does this mean Kobe is all but gone? All I've ever heard was Kobe was the reason Phil was not back in the first place?

[One Dart]

They had an interview with Phil during the game tonight and he said some interesting things. The most interesting was something along the lines of he would be very surprised if they were contending for the title within three years which is the length of this contract. They are way over the cap and he must be smoking some excellent crack if he thinks Kobe will want to curb his enthusiasm. For taking the other team 1 on 5 that is.

[sensei_hanson]

Phil is really there for the money (record breaking contract for a coach in the NBA), and his relationship with Jeanie Buss. I don't think anybody actually figures this team can compete for a title in the next 1-2 years, which is why the move is really surprising. Jackson has long been known to only enter situations where he has excess talent at his disposal, or an immediate chance to win.

I do know that Dr. Buss has plans to make a run at both Amare Stoudamire and Yao Ming when their rookie contracts expire in 2006. Unless things go completely sour in Phoenix, Amare isn't going to leave the Suns, or Steve Nash. Yao is a completely different story - the marketing genius behind taking the cultural phenomenon that is Yao Ming to a major market like Los Angeles is really a no-brainer. His time in Houston hasn't exactly been all shits and giggles either.

When you add that LA has always maintained a legacy of dominant centers - Mikan, Chamberlain, Abdul-Jabbar, Shaq - getting Yao in the yellow and gold would seem to be a perfect fit somewhere down the road.

I think the three-year deal is just so Phil can gauge the development of the team. If they still stink after year two, he can just up and leave. If they start to show the making of another dynasty, he'll just sign an extension. He's pretty much in control of the franchise at this point - I wouldn't be surprised if he moves into management/ownership when Dr. Buss passes the torch.