Phil is interviewed at his home in Montana and as usual speaks very open however guarded and cryptic!
He talks about LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Bynum, Pau, Jimmy Buss and avoid's being baited into answering the question of weather or not he returns to coach now that he feels pain free after knee replacement surgery.
He also makes a statement in regards to the Lakers being ok but not sure if they will win! Thought that was pretty funny.
Go over to HBO's website and view the 3 clips and dont miss the full episode tonight on HBO i'm sure it will be well worth it to us who admire what he did for the Lakers.
[/quote]Jackson explains how executive Jim Buss' appreciation for Andrew Bynum's game changed the tenor of the team.
"You know, Jim is a guy that, you know, saw Andrew as a kid-- and thought Bynum was gonna be a great pick for our team. But in the process, I think you know, he's wanted Andrew to have a bigger and bigger role. And I think he's hired his coach to have Andrew have a bigger and bigger role. And that kinda disjointed the symmetry of what the Lakers were really about this last year. You know, Andrew is All-Star center. He was-- did a wonderful job. But, you know, it-- what happened was, it took Pau out of his game. And it took the team away from some of their game. So they changed the style dramatically."
HBO: Do you think LeBron's not being utilized in the best way?
Jackson: "Oh, they're -- they're using LeBron every possible way they can. He's such a great player. I still think his game is gonna grow. I still think it's gonna grow. But he was like Scottie Pippen was to the Bulls. He's maybe a pass first and shoot second player. Whereas, you know, Michael or Kobe are like, "I'm gonna shoot this ball." Every time they get the ball, they're looking to score. LeBron's not like that. And I love that about him. But he also, when he goes after scoring, he's also terrific. You want a player that can do both. I tried to get Kobe to do both for numbers of years, and he could. But his first instinct is to beat the guy that's in front of him."
HBO: "Having had the formula for success, for melding together two talents, when you look at a LeBron James and a Dwyane Wade, what do you see?"
Jackson: "They're doin' great together. I mean, they really play off each other well. They are doing really well together."
HBO: "Do you ever think about coaching those two?"
Jackson: "No, I never -- I never considered that, no. You know, they're talents. And -- you know, I think Pat has his finger on the pulse there. And he knows what he wants."
HBO: "Could you ever work with or for Pat Riley?"
Jackson: "Of course. I mean, we both have respect for each other. And we're both basketball-minded guys. I mean, yeah, that'd be no problem. But I'd probably rather have him working for me than me working for him."
