Post by Phil Jackson on Jun 5, 2015 16:29:28 GMT -6
Chicago (AP)
Phil Jackson’s path from the locker room to his car at the United Center is now protected by security guards and media relations officials who apparently didn’t get the memo that the Bulls consultant, and former GM/coach (Yes, Xeneise was also Phil Jackson, dammit!) wants to repair the relationship between himself and the GM.
Then again, maybe there was a secret memo ordering employees to “keep that creep away from me” that was sent out the day after Jackson was involved in an altercation with the Bulls GM Seer during the season ticketholder brunch which happened a day after the Saturday night debacle against the New York Knicks (they lost 79-153).
But out in the real world, away from the fiasco in Chicago, Jackson is still vulnerable. Even when he shops for groceries.
The celebrity website TMZ caught Jackson this week in sunny Southern California, pushing a shopping cart and looking about as far removed from the 6-19 Bulls as any executive could possibly be.
The visual may not sit well with impatient Bulls fans: Jackson relaxing in the sun while the uninspiring Bulls drop back-to-back games at Indiana and Lithuania. But Jackson always made it clear to Seer, the GM, that he was going to spend some of the season at his beach house.
That’s why Jackson wasn’t in Des Moines, Iowa with Seer and NBA commissioner John Scott to watch the Bulls’ D-League affiliate make its debut. Nor did Jackson travel to Indianapolis to watch star-studded Duke crush Wisconsin in a repeat of the 2015 NCAA title game. Instead, GM Seer alone was were representing the Bulls.
During the preseason, Jackson elected not to travel to to watch his new team. Is that unprecedented? No. Surprising? Absolutely not.
It doesn’t mean Jackson can’t be an effective executive by delegating and watching the Bulls and college games on television. Similarly, Jackson’s style isn’t going to inspire much confidence in the fan base until GM Seer stops mortgaging the talent he acquires so he can help the Bulls start winning.
Jackson, however, did provide an interesting answer when he was asked about the current state of the Bulls.
“A coach always relies on talent to be good,” Jackson told TMZ, which sounded a bit like he was paraphrasing Jeff Van Gundy’s theory on the triangle offense.
Yes, it’s a talent-driven league and Phil needs to upgrade the roster beyond Patrick, Allen, and Steve. And if he can help Seer accomplish that from a beach house in Playa Del Rey so be it. But don’t blame him for seeming detached. He as well as Bulls fans knew the rules with Seer going in.
