Phil Jackson was not going to walk away from the chance to win more rings. Unless he couldn't walk.
He's been moving just fine, thank you very much, which prompted Jackson to say he wants to come back and coach Los Angeles again next year.
Asked if he thinks he will be back with a new deal in 2010-11, Jackson said without hesitation: "Yeah."
"The wear and tear of a season, I think, affects everybody, the travel and whatever else you have to do for an extended time," he said at the Ford Center after a Lakers shoot around in preparation for the game against the Thunder later Friday. "But, all that being said, I'm as mobile as I've ever been in the last three years. That helps. I'm dealing with less arthritic elements that are painful things going on as you age. But there are still considerations as to the duration that I will coach, simply because I have to stay attuned to that.
"I look at something that happened like George Karl [the Nuggets coach who has been spending time away from the team while undergoing cancer treatment] and I just think it's a shame. You can't predict or project that as a possible situation, but he's going to miss part of the season and it's going to affect his team. I wouldn't want to put a franchise in that position when there's young healthy guys that can do the job."
Jackson does not come cheap -- about $12 million a year -- but owner Jerry Buss will pay to bring him back. Jackson is an investment that pays off. It's about filling seats, and what does that is winning and stars. Phil Jackson is the biggest star in the coaching firmament -- he is the only coach that sells tickets. And he wins. Championships. And that is what Buss wants and has always been willing to pay for. Buss said recently he was just waiting for the season to end before he talks to Jackson, as has been their pattern in recent years.
A couple years ago, with one hip replacement surgery done and another one scheduled, it was clear just watching Jackson move around, he was in pain. The NBA season is a grind -- stress, lack of sleep, travel having to deal with the media, not to mention owners. Jackson thought about hanging up his coaching jacket, going to live in Montana and do a lot of fly-fishing.
But the lure of more rings is strong -- and he has a Lakers team capable of getting more. Today, Jackson seems to be moving better; his sprits seem good. He seems to be enjoying the moment. Sure, $12 million doesn't hurt, but Jackson has money.
He has rings, too, but he still savors the intellectual challenge of molding a team that can get more. And the championship window for this Lakers team remains wide open for a few more years. There have been recent hints Jackson wanted to return, like him saying a lot of nice things about Buss.
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Kurt Helin lives in Los Angeles and is the managing editor of NBC's NBA blog Pro Basketball Talk (which you can also follow in twitter).
