Read the opposing arguments from Babe Ruthless and Bleacher Fan.
Jerry Sloan is a good coach. He has won more games as a NBA head coach than any other coach ever. He is also the longest tenured coach in the NBA for good reason – he knows how to build consistent winners. Only, Sloan has a stigma that he has failed to shake throughout this entire coaching career. Perhaps unfairly, though not inaccurately, Sloan is perceived as a coach who has routinely failed to “win the big one.” Sloan has zero NBA championships despite coming very close twice, only to fall to Jordan – and Phil Jackson’s – Chicago Bulls… both times.
If Jerry Sloan is a good coach, then Phil Jackson is a great coach. In fact, Phil Jackson is the only coach currently in the coaching profession – regardless of sport – that genuinely deserves the oversized payday that professional athletes and their coaches enjoy.
Jerry Sloan has won a record 1,190 basketball games as a head coach. Remarkable. But, Phil Jackson is no slouch in that department having notched 1,098 victories of his own.
But, the only statistic that truly matters is championships, right? That is the defining standard by which successful coaches are ultimately measured. It is also the metric that separates Phil Jackson from all other active – and many “inactive” – coaches throughout sports history. Jackson has won ten NBA championships, and may be on his way to an eleventh this season.
What makes Phil Jackson such a good coach… a coach worthy of a substantial payday? It is more than just Jackson’s ability to manage resources and inspire the best possible performance out of players – though his skills in that regard must not be dismissed. It is his ability to clearly and succinctly communicate truths of life and basketball that extract the best from those around him. Here are a few sample quotes from a surprisingly quotable coach who does not get the credit some of his colleagues do in that department:
- “Wisdom is always an overmatch for strength.”
- “Always keep an open mind and a compassionate heart.”
- “Approach the game with no preset agendas and you’ll probably come away surprised at your overall efforts.”
- “You have to have someone coming off the bench who has experience, knowledge, and ability.
None of these quotes are earth-shattering, get out of your chair, run through a wall kind of stuff. But they are pithy, smart, and, for lack of a more elegant term, correct.
Part of what I believe separates Jackson from the pack is not necessarily his quotable sound bites, but the meaning inherent in what he says… and his unique interpretation and application of certain truths. For example, the final quote in that grouping is my favorite Phil Jackson quote. It certainly is not rocket science, but the telling nature of that quote is in Jackson’s interpretation and how he applies that wisdom. His ability to recognize the right type of experience, the most important knowledge, and the right mixture of abilities sets him apart. He is not speaking in riddles with some zen-like mastery there. He is stating an obvious basketball truth that he is better at interpreting and applying than anyone else.
The individuality of his talent is what separates him, and also what rightfully earns his hefty paycheck.
Los Angeles Lakers owner Jerry Buss has indicated that Phil Jackson should be prepared to take a pay cut of as much as 60 percent if he wishes to remain with the team as its coach next season. For a guy making $10.3M in 2010, and having led yet another team to the NBA Finals, there is no reason to believe that Jackson would fail to leverage that continued success into an even larger payday with another team that has the building blocks for a championship in place – but lacks the guidance to put it all together.
Jackson is the missing piece for teams that rest on the cusp of a championship like the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Both teams may be willing to open up the check book and handsomely reward Jackson for doing what he does best.
