I finished reading "The Last Season" by Phil Jackson finally. I was astounded by how simply he makes the game seem. He puts so much faith in his players I felt like their losses had to be his players' fault. Kobe is portrayed as the complete and total fuck I have no doubt that he is. He may have gotten better, but I refuse to believe that things have changed that much. I'll bet you everything I own that there isn't a player on the Lakers who would take a bullet for him. Getting back to the Zen master, he really seems like a puppet master and genius, but constantly seeks improvement. He consults with a psychologist for things to help his players, and at times himself. Searching for new ways to reach players and get ideas across. He has wisdom and knowledge he freely shares that astounded me. Playing X player for X minutes to ensure they don't wear out. Looking towards the playoffs during the regular season and playing rookies to get experience in pressure times, because he's always looking at the Championship, because anything else is failure. If you enjoy basketball, Phil, the Lakers, hate Kobe, want to know about behind the scenes stuff, then you simply have to read The Last Season. I completely forgot that he retired and had Rudy Tomjanovich (no idea if that's the correct spelling and am entirely too lazy to look it up) take over for a brief period. It reminded me that Kobe not only drove Shaq out of town, but also the greatest NBA coach ever.
Favorite excerpt: "Tim, why don't you just play basketball and quit bitching all the time" I said. "If you want to be a referee, get a fucking whistle and come out and be a referee." He stared at me, perplexed. "You know what the hell I'm talking about." That's Phil head-hunting Tim Duncan for pining at the officials constantly. Though he commends how he stands up for his teammates and how his constant bitching could be enough to get a huge crucial call later.
The book is a true eye-opener on why I always hated Kobe Bryant. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. Phil Jackson is incredible in his insight.
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