There is a myth Phil Jackson learned a lot of his coaching trade by sitting next to Red Holzman during the 1969-70 championship season, soaking up the Hall of Fame coach’s knowledge. Jackson was on the injured list all season after back surgery.
The truth is, Jackson learned more about photography than coaching.
“He was George Kalinsky’s assistant that year,” former Knick guard Mike Riordan recalls. “I don’t remember him on the bench or at practices.”
Indeed, Jackson worked closely with the Knicks’ legendary lensman and they collaborated that season on each other’s first book, a photo essay, “Take it All.” Of the few hundred photos, only a handful were Jackson’s. But Jax wrote the text.
Jackson also took the season’s most compelling photo, that of the nine-inch needle sticking out of Reed’s leg the night of classic Game 7.
“Red asked it not to be published,” said Kalinsky, whose newest book, “Garden of Dreams” has Reed’s classic hobbled walk onto the court on its cover. Jackson still has the negative and claims that Spike Lee offered him $10,000 for it. A source close to Jackson said the Zen Master believes the unpublished photo is worth more than $100,000.
I would pay $100,000 for a picture of Phil Jackson coaching a team that wasn’t overloaded with talent and one coach away from winning it all.
I’ll be shocked if Chief Big Triangle takes the Clevo or NY jobs, because the Cavs and Knicks might actually require some COACHING. You know, when a guy gets up off the fucking bench and tells the players which plays to run.
And the fact that the Lakers would take him back after he sold out the franchise with the quickie ‘a season in the life of’ book shows how desperate the Good Doctor is to keep asses in the seats.
And if you think I’m prepping for Jim Rome’s smack-off with the above ‘take’, you are correct. Look out, people! I’ve got a rant cooking!
TH
I think the Cleveland job is a longshot, either way, TH. Supposedly, neither the Cavs nor Jackson are interested in each other any longer, which might have something to do with the GM position being unresolved…and any candidate with serious leverage/experience having questions about Dan Gilbert.
But if they wanna keep LeBron after ’05/06, they’re not hiring a coach James doesn’t approve of.
Being a coach/GM is fool’s gold in the NBA. I don’t know why everybody wants it so badly. The guys wearing two hats inevitably flame out. So for Jackson to want that at this late date is surprising; you’d think he’d want to keep that legacy as sparklingly perfect as he’s maintainted it to date.
I’d love to see him bite off more than he can chew, personally. It would be a ton of fun to watch Jackson show something beyond the smug self-satisfaction he usually flaunts.
TH
TH-
Isn’t it a contradiction to claim that Jackson only takes over teams “one coach away from winning it all” and then infer that he doesn’t really do much coaching at all? Phil Jackson coached some of the most talented players/teams in history. Would they have achieved such success without Jackson’s guidance? Difficult to know. I don’t think any of these jobs can offer the immediate he is accustomed to, but personally, I’d like to see him in Cleveland…They are nowhere near a finished product – neither is LA, which seems to be Jackson’s most likely destination and would be no cakewalk – but they are also far less restricted by salary cap issues than the Knicks…And there’s no arguing that PJax has been involved in the blossoming of some of the game’s greatest talents. What could he achieve with LeBron, who I believe will retire as an all-time great (or perhaps the all-time greatest)?
I don’t know what Dan Gilbert’s daughter looks like, but I can almost promise you that Phil isn’t coaching in Cleveland next yeat.
I hate to take exception with Sir Hoops’ sage assessment, but Big Chief Triangle did win a CBA championship with the Albany Patroons in 1984, a squad that didn’t feature Michael Jordan, Shaq, Kobe or even Luc Longley.
Phil Jackson is a very good coach. He might even be a great coach.
But I dont think he’s one of the all-time greatest coaches, like he’s purported to be. What I mean to say is that he is Wildly Over Rated.
Of course he’s proven himself to be great with teams stocked with talent. But I dont think he’s got it in him to take on an NBA team that isn’t on the verge of winning it all. I’d love to see him take a team like Golden State and see if he can do anything with them. But he won’t.
And, for your information, CSTB, I coached the Albany Patroons to a CBA championship in 1991. Anyone can do it!
And Gabe, please dont put the cart before the horse re: King James just yet. I could see him making his mark big-time. Never forget the guy with one leg down in Orlando, who was called by far too many people ‘the future of the NBA’. Let LeBron make it to the playoffs before you hand him the keys to the castle.
TH
Point taken re: LBJ, Tommy…And I must admit, I wasn’t paying as much attention when Grant Hill was great. But I just cannot get past two things with LeBron: his relative lack of basketball education (relative, say, to Hill’s years under Coach K – Paul Silas might as well have been Paul Reubens if you ask me) and his age. It may be hasty for me(and, umm, everybody else watching) to jump to such lofty conclusions about the young man’s future in the game, but so far he has been just staggering. And his improvement from year one, I think, is also important to note. If he makes improvements in each year of his career of an average of, say, 25% of what he did from year one to year two, he will be very, very scary.