To fully understand what the Lakers require in their next head coach means understanding the man they are replacing. The key to choosing the right successor therein lies in understanding Phil Jackson's magic (not to be confused with Earvin's "Magic", of course).
Other writers with far more knowledge (read: access) are better qualified to dissect and explain Jackson's coaching successes, but any fan who has invested time into any of the last 20 playoff tournaments knows that Jackson is unique because he recognizes and appreciates his players' disparate personalities in ways other coaches cannot.
The responsibilities of a basketball coach are not unlike those of a manager in any other less heavily glorified field, be it a restaurant, a police department, an insurance company, a law firm, etc. Good managers know their trade and possess the ability to instruct their employees how to do it. Great managers know their employees and possess the ability to motivate them.
The 2011-2012 Los Angeles Lakers will be a veteran team equipped with the knowledge and experience gained from three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals.
Do you think the Lakers lost to Dallas because they didn't know how to rotate on defense or because they didn't know when to cut to the basket?
Go ahead and mark your calendar right now for a first-round playoff date at Staples Center next year. Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom and Derek Fisher and most every other player on that team knows how to play winning basketball. But they'll need a coach to give them the juice and the glue to push them through to the end.
To do that, the Los Angeles Lakers will need a coach that has refined his approach through both success and failure. The sudden emergence of precocious squads in Chicago and Oklahom...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
