"Personally, I think that Phil Jackson is the most overrated sports figure in a long time. He had the two best players of the time in Chicago (well, maybe not the two best, of two of the best), and won. He has the same thing in LA and wins. "


i agree with you on every other point about the Lakers in general. but i do think that phil jackson has a unique coaching style that makes him one of hte better coaches in the league. when you refer to the Bulls' dynasty, i assume you mean Pippen and Jordan. When you refer to the Lakers, i assume you mean Shaq and Kobe. i have to contest that there are magnitudes of difference between P&J and S&K. Michael Jordan, hell Scotty Pippen even, had more talent and skill in the game than both Shaq and Kobe combined. this is mainly because - Kobe is way overrated, and Shaq has Zero Skill. I hardly think it is arrogant of me to say that if I PERSONALLY had Shaq's pure physical capabilities, I would be a better player than he is currently. it doesn't take talent to throw around a massive body and stand on your tip-toes and dunk. think about how even a 15-year old kid can whomp a bunch of 7-year-olds on a rim 7 feet tall. its the same thing. no skill.


The Bulls had way more talent than that back when they had Phil.


the NBA has changed since the Bulls' run. now everybody is an entertainer. everybody has tattoos and weird hair and wears way more sweatbands then ever before, and all the personalities in the NBA are being marketed more now than ever before. before it was about the team. but now its about selling t-shirts. now its about being a NAME so that people come to games to see you, so that your NAME is a huge bargaining chip when it comes to contract negotiations. everyone realized that their skill alone could always be replaced, but their NAME and LIKENESS could not. smart business, but the romance is lost somewhere, and i don't even care to watch any sports now, ever (ok except when the Bears were kicking a$$ last season).


I think that saying the Kings would have won had PJ been coaching them is misleading. probably not, if you switched coaches right before the game started. but if PJ had been their coach all along, it is perhaps possible. He DOES have a way of bringing a team together in a way that other coaches don't seem to be able to do.