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I knew Phil when ... Jackson's coaching talent was obvious 20 years agoPosted: Tuesday June 11, 2002 11:28 PM
I coached Phil Jackson in his last year as a player (with New Jersey in 1978-79), and then hired him as an assistant with the Nets the next season. That was his first coaching job on the way to becoming the outstanding head coach he is today. As a player, Jackson wasn't overly talented, but he was extremely competitive and unbelievably physical. He wasn't dirty, but he played tough, hard-nosed defense. He's carried those traits over to each of his teams. The great defense Chicago played was overshadowed by Michael Jordan, and there's a tendency to overlook the Lakers' defense because of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. In addition to those defensive strengths, the main thing Jackson has going for him is a great feel for players and for the game. He's had great teams, and he's had a great rapport with his best players -- Jordan and Scottie Pippen and now Shaq and Kobe. He gets the best out of them and gets them to play the way he wants them to, which isn't easy with some superstars. In fact, his biggest accomplishment was getting Shaq and Kobe on the same page. So while there's no doubt it helps to have great players, the coaches who had those Bulls and Lakers teams before him were not successful, which means Jackson obviously is doing something right. And he's doing it differently from everyone else, particularly with the Zen approach. He's very independent; he's not a politician or a promoter. He's also shy and a bit introverted, which some people interpret as arrogance. But he paid his dues as a coach with the CBA's Albany Patroons and as an NBA assistant for many years. The bottom line is, Jackson has put himself in the upper tier of NBA head coaches. He's poised to pass Pat Riley for most playoff coaching victories (his next win will give him 156) and tie Red Auerbach for most NBA titles (nine). Once he does that, he and Auerbach truly will be in a class by themselves.
Kevin Loughery is a former NBA player and head coach. His column appears weekly on CNNSI.com
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