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lakerdude
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Post subject: Source: Lakers' Jackson assured for 2009-10
 Posted: Jul 03, 2009 - 01:01 PM PST
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Big-Time Laker Fan
Joined: Jun 24, 2007
Posts: 676
  
votes: 12
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The Los Angeles Lakers' commitment to sign the mercurial Ron Artest would appear to make retaining Phil Jackson even more imperative than the team believed when the NBA's free-agent period began.
It shouldn't be a topic of discussion much longer.
Jackson's presence on the bench next season, according to one NBA coaching source, is "99.9 percent" assured, with another source indicating that Jackson's return will be publicly confirmed by the Lakers by early next week at the latest.
Sources said Jackson returned to his offseason home in Montana on Wednesday after completing a positive series of medical check-ups following the Game 5 victory in Orlando on June 14 that clinched the 15th NBA title in franchise history.
In a recent radio interview with 710 ESPN Los Angeles, Jackson said his 2009-10 status would be made official by "early July" and insisted that health concerns would be the only factor that could keep him from completing the final season of his contract in 2009-10, worth an estimated $12 million.
Since originally joining the Lakers for the 1999-2000 season, Jackson, 63, has endured an angioplasty and gout in addition to two hip surgeries and occasional back and leg problems.
In the radio interview, Jackson acknowledged the Lakers have "toyed around" with the idea of letting assistant coach Kurt Rambis coach the Lakers in more road games to ease the wear and tear on Jackson, as seen in April when Rambis stepped in for Jackson in a road loss at Portland on the second night of a back-to-back set.
But Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak subsequently announced that Jackson would "come back and coach both home and away games" if he indeed returns.
"During my discussion with him," Kupchak said, "it was pretty clear that that type of scenario doesn't work. And that's his opinion as well."
One theory already in circulation holds that Lakers owner Jerry Buss wanted to sign Artest in part to entice Jackson with a challenge to come back after winning his record-setting 10th championship ring as a coach, breaking his longstanding tie with Boston Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach.
The ability to keep Dennis Rodman plugged in with the Chicago Bulls, something only Jackson and Michael Jordan managed after Rodman's early days with the Detroit Pistons, helped him win two of those rings.
Asked during a SportsCenter appearance Thursday if he believes he'll be playing for Jackson when he reports to Lakers training camp in October, Artest said flatly, "He's my coach."
Artest also told the Los Angeles Times: "I had a great talk [Thursday] with Phil. I'm a huge fan of his and I can't wait to show him what I can do."
Marc Stein is a senior NBA writer for ESPN.com.
LINK: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4304612
Looks like he will coach all the games this year. Awesome news. Another ring for the Zen Man. |
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kbp24
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Post subject: RE: Source: Lakers' Jackson assured for 2009-10
Posted: Jul 03, 2009 - 01:04 PM PST
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Casual Laker Fan
Joined: Jun 27, 2008
Posts: 108
votes: 1
Status: Offline
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| Hey I was just about to post this too!!! Whatever tho this is awesome, now theres only one more thing left to do and that is resigning Lamar odom!!! |
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ReliveThe3PEAT
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Post subject: Re: Source: Lakers' Jackson assured for 2009-10
Posted: Jul 03, 2009 - 01:21 PM PST
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Lakers Topbuzz Hall of Famer
Joined: Jul 19, 2008 Age: 18
Posts: 12663
votes: 58
Status: Offline
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lakerdude wrote:
Sources said Jackson returned to his offseason home in Montana on Wednesday after completing a positive series of medical check-ups following the Game 5 victory in Orlando on June 14 that clinched the 15th NBA title in franchise history.
Great News! Glad to hear Phil is doing ok! |
_________________
"I just wish more people would celebrate Kobe. I really do. We spend so much time trying to tear him apart and I think we're missing how great he is" - Doc Rivers
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BigD
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Post subject: RE: Re: Source: Lakers' Jackson assured for 2009-10
Posted: Jul 03, 2009 - 01:26 PM PST
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Die-Hard Laker Fan
Joined: Mar 21, 2008 Age: 37
Posts: 1399
Location: Bay Area
votes: 9
Status: Offline
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Artest will be his pet project, so he wanted to come back for sure when Artest agreed to join the team.
Besides, who wouldn't want to come back with arguably the best 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th scoring option in the NBA.
He might as well pull a Pat Riley and guarantee a title next year. |
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Having landed Artest must feel like landing in a vat of salt water with 1000 paper cuts to the rest of the league. Now we've got the best 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th scoring options in the league.
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Kobe24Lakers
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Post subject: RE: Re: Source: Lakers' Jackson assured for 2009-10
Posted: Jul 03, 2009 - 04:29 PM PST
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Topbuzz Newbie
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Joined: May 31, 2009 Age: 19
Posts: 8
Status: Offline
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| I Hope Phil can deal with Atest like he Did with Rodman |
_________________
Experience.... The Best Teacher of them all
-L.O
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lakeshowsd
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Post subject: RE: Re: Source: Lakers' Jackson assured for 2009-10
Posted: Jul 03, 2009 - 05:41 PM PST
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Laker GM
Joined: Dec 20, 2008 Age: 28
Posts: 2594
Location: North Bend, OR
votes: 32
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Dang, Kobe24Lakers! You have an Artest 91 Avatar already??? Photoshop? That's really good.
Thrilled to have Phil back. Its looking more and more like a Re-peat every day. The only MAJOR missing piece is Lamar. Once he's signed, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. |
_________________
"No center in the NBA scores 20 per game easier than Andrew Bynum." - lakeshowsd
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maraud
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Post subject: RE: Re: Source: Lakers' Jackson assured for 2009-10
Posted: Jul 03, 2009 - 07:38 PM PST
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Die-Hard Laker Fan
Joined: Jul 13, 2007
Posts: 2278
votes: 7
Status: Offline
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| Well I am glad that PJ is returning. I am hoping that someone offers Mcmillen andJeff Van Gundy lukerative coaching jobs so that when PJ retires neither are available to coach the Lakers. |
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