In September, Jackson turns 65. Retirement age, supposedly. He wants to keep going for at least a short while, but largely because of all the years he spent recklessly tossing that large frame across the hardwood as a professional, his hips, knees and feet have all either given out or are about to. Coaching has become a pain in the butt, literally.
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Co-coach plan just might work for Lakers
The defending champions should be strong enough mentally to handle a situation where Phil Jackson coached the team for home games and Kurt Rambis took care of the road duties.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday, June 27, 2009 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 4 National Desk 1 inches; 52 words Type of Material: Correction
Kurt Streeter column: In Thursday's Sports section, the Kurt Streeter column on the prospect of a Lakers co-coaching arrangement said that USC business professor Warren Bennis "at 84 works a part-time schedule himself." Bennis works full time. Also, the column said Lakers Coach Phil Jackson turns 65 in September. He turns 64.
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Add to this his history of heart trouble and the recent stroke by longtime mentor Tex Winter, a reminder of life's frailty, and Jackson has every reason to want to cut back on coaching.
If he can turn the NBA marathon into a series of short sprints, preserving his sanity and health and giving himself more time to smell the fresh ocean air, well, kudos, wonderful, great for him. No NBA coach deserves such a setup more than Jackson; and not just for his titles and longevity, but for his class.
After hearing this setup was being considered I called Warren Bennis, the esteemed USC business professor who has advised four U.S. presidents, countless Fortune 500 chief executives, and is regarded as one of the fathers of the study of leadership. I figured he could give us an astute and different take.
"It's a fascinating idea," said Bennis, who at 84 works a part-time schedule himself. "I'm honestly very intrigued with the possibility and what this will tell us about Phil as a leader."
Bennis' keys to success? How much the entire team will buy into this most unusual of arrangements; how well the team is prepared going into next season; how much confidence the Lakers players, particularly Kobe Bryant, have in Rambis; and how deeply Jackson's overarching philosophy has rooted itself throughout the entire operation.
"Kurt Rambis would be like an organ transplant," Bennis said. "Sometimes organ transplants work. Sometimes they are rejected. We'd just have to see."
If it ever happens, count on the transplant working out fine. The big boss gets deserved rest. There's every reason to believe the league champs have become so steeped in his share-the-love ways that they could probably win next year with Bryant as player-coach. (Heck, wasn't he almost doing just that in the Finals?)
Most importantly, there's every reason to believe Rambis will be a fine leader.
Rambis wouldn't get tuned out. He's been with these players too long, been too trusted an ally and done too much as a 1980s Laker not to have heavy clout and serious legitimacy. Yes, he's a logical successor to Jackson.
So knowing Jackson won't be around forever, knowing this team is incredibly sharp as is, why not let him partially grab the reins and show what he can do? If he's an utter failure the Lakers move forward and the search for their next full-time coach goes that much smoother.
OK, that's getting ahead of ourselves. We're not sure where this is headed but should Kurt Rambis become co-assistant-vice-deputy head coach, there's just one piece of advice he'd do well to heed. When the going gets rough in Memphis, turn the iPhone off.
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kurt streeter@latimes.com
