5 Good Minutes with Phil Jackson

From yesterday's Pardon the Interruption on ESPN, a 5 minute interview with Phil Jackson. He talked amongst alot of different topics including this season, the Lakers fast start, other good teams, etc... From a coaching aspect, I really liked the topic of the "Orchestrating Feud?" (3 minute mark) I don't care where you coach, there are always distractions every coach has to deal with. Whether they are from parents, that star player which is getting all the pub that comes with being a D1 prospect, cliques within the team, as a coach, it is your job to make sure that when it comes to basketball, they are focused on the task, on the ultimate goal. Coaching is as much about conflict resolution and communication so that your players understand what you want out of them. For Coach Jackson, think of all the distractions his teams have had to deal with, Rodman, MJ un-retiring, Kobe-Shaq, Kobe trial, etc... Through it all, he's been able to win 9 NBA championships as a coach, not bad for all he has had to put up with.



For more info on the Lakers' famed triangle offense take a look at Tex Winter's DVD on the Encyclopedia of the Triangle Offense. Coach Winters is of course the longtime assistant to Phil Jackson. Don't forget to check out the X's and O's Basketball Forum to discuss this and any of your favorite basketball topics.