Jackson extension story
November 30th, 2007, 12:10 am · Post a Comment · posted by KEVIN DING, OCREGISTER.COM
In case you can’t locate the new version of my story about Phil Jackson’s contract extension, here is the text:
By KEVIN DING
The Orange County Register
LOS ANGELES
Phil Jackson’s going to be Laker for longer than Shaquille O’Neal was. And maybe, just maybe, for as long as Kobe Bryant will be.
Jackson has agreed to a two-year, $24 million contract extension to coach the Lakers beyond this season, his eighth season with a club that is making him feel more and more like family. Lakers owner Jerry Buss, whose daughter Jeanie has dated Jackson since September 1999, wants Jackson not just because Jackson is the only one in the organization Bryant says he “trusts implicitly.” Buss believes Jackson, inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame last September, will keep the Lakers winning even if Bryant has to go in trade at some point.
Either way, there was an organization-wide exhale Thursday because Jackson is staying and there’s at least that much stability for the future.
“I know the club is relieved,” said Todd Musburger, Jackson’s agent and close friend. “It’s a positive statement for someone like Phil Jackson to say, ‘Count me in. I’m your guy.’ ”
O’Neal was only a Laker for eight seasons before Buss parted ways with him. But Buss remains very fond of Jackson, and the two literature buffs enjoy each other’s company away from the gym. This extension, which Jackson has yet to sign because of paperwork preparation, will mark the third time Buss has committed massive money to Jackson – this after Buss used to believe big bucks should only go to players.
Jackson’s three-year, $30 million contract – already the richest for a coach in North American sports history – was set to expire at season’s end. Jackson, 62, had been leaning toward re-signing for months, but he wanted to go through his first week-long road trip with the team to gauge his physical stamina. He had two hip-replacement procedures in an eight-month span before this season.
Even though Jackson has said the decision boiled down to his physical ability to do the job the way he wanted, he has acknowledged that his ability to reach this second-youngest roster in the NBA was part of the big picture. So Jackson’s decision to stay for two more seasons is at least an couched endorsement in the team’s talent and its possibility of contending for a championship by 2010.
Jackson on Thursday night referred to “the progress we’re making and with Kobe’s ability on any given night” to produce a victory. Jackson offered optimism regarding Bryant’s view on his Lakers future when referring to the team’s potential.
“He sees it, too,” Jackson said, “and I think he sees the challenge ahead.”
Bryant, however, was asked last Friday if Jackson extending his deal would affect his Lakers future and had a flat answer: “No.”
But Bryant was clear about Jackson’s coaching prowess.
“He still has a lot to offer, absolutely,” Bryant said. “He still has a lot to offer to the game. He’s a brilliant, brilliant basketball coach.”
Jackson, who finalized his decision Wednesday, even left the door open on another extension beyond this one.
“In the end, he loves doing what he’s doing,” Musburger said.
