NBA Rumors: Phil Jackson Wants To Move Out Of New York
Just like the Chicago Bulls in the 90's, Los Angeles Lakers were at the pinnacle of their basketball success in the league under the stewardship of legendary head coach Phil Jackson who was largely credited for leading the purple and gold team to five NBA titles.
Jackson has since retired from hardcourt coaching and settled for a loftier executive position as President of New York Knicks. However, there have been recent rumblings of his purported comeback to the west coast.
With two years left on his contract, Jackson may consider invoking the opt-out clause in the agreement so he can get out from the New York-based franchise.
"One is that Jackson badly wants out of New York, preferring to return back to Los Angeles to be near his fiancée, Lakers scion Jeanie Buss. Jackson is believed to have an out in his Knicks deal that could free him up to do just that at the end of next season unless things between him and Dolan become untenable before that," remarked Michael Grange of Sports Net.
There is also an ongoing speculation that the likelihood of Jackson's return will become imminent if Lakers' incumbent VP of basketball operations will be shut off from active management.
"It's believed that as soon as Jeanie's brother Jim Buss - blamed for the Lakers current free fall - is somehow removed from the scene, Jackson will be back as soon as he can engineer it," Lakers Nation reported.
With Jackson's presence, he might be able to reverse Lakers' descent to its worst ever performance in the Western Conference. As reported by Sports Rageous, Phil Jackson has secured a reputable NBA legacy of holding the highest winning percentage among the league's coaches. The 'Zen Master' is a strong advocate of Tex Winter's triangle offense as well as holistic leadership approach. In total, he has 11 NBA titles to his name: six from Chicago Bulls (with Michael Jordan10 and five from Los Angeles (with Kobe Bryant).
