KCAL 9 has reported that Mitch Kupchak and the Lakers organization has withdrawn a contract extention offered to Phil Jackson...what could this mean? Is this a business tactic, or are the Lakers looking towards another direction...Phil Jackson said He was "surprised this was made public" and that he and Kupchak will iron out this issue later on....
Damn you post fast... they just announced that... I think they just want to talk to him more about the future before they put up another deal.
I agree with PJ's comments, "why make this public news?" This is just going to cause more tension for the Laker players. How can you expect your players to commit to a coach, when the organization isn't willing to commit to him? This should have been settled in private, but can we really expect anything less than terrible decisions by Mitch "Trigger Shy" Kupchak?
And I thought the point of not dealing with the re-signing was to not make it a distraction for the Lakers season. Just making it public, makes it a distraction. What the hell were they thinking? I don't even like the sound of that, that they would withdraw an extension from a coach like Phil. Horrible call by Kupchak to put this out.
My pops was saying that maybe Phil pissed off Jeanne Buss somehow..lol Anyways, I didn't even realize Phil wanted to coach that much longer...At the very least, that's a good sign for the Lakers considering Phils success and health problems
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Lakers suspended negotiations to extend coach Phil Jackson's contract until after the season. The five-year, $30 million contract Jackson signed in June 1999 expires at the end of the season. Negotiations to extend the deal began last summer after the 58-year-old Jackson decided he was well enough to continue coaching, but ended last week. "I have no hard feelings at all," Jackson said before Wednesday night's game in Houston. "I actually think it's the right move for them to make with all the free agents they have this summer." Jackson acknowledged surprise at the Lakers' announcement of talks being put on hold and said he'd speak with general manager Mitch Kupchak this weekend. The coach considered retirement last season based on a lack of energy before undergoing an angioplasty during the playoffs. "Everyone concerned in this important transaction understands the business side of basketball," Jackson's agent, Todd Musburger, said Friday. "We know that the Lakers have great appreciation for Phil's contributions and we also know that Phil has enjoyed the challenge and has obviously delivered great success to the club.</div> More here.
I think this whole things is being blown way out of proportion. It was a bad idea to make this issue public, but I don't have much doubt that Phil and the Lakers will come to an agreement this offseason. Phil probably won't coach for more than another 2 to 3 seasons, and after that he's going straight to the Lakers' front office. All of this of course may hinge more on his ability to keep Jeanne happy, it's always a dangerous proposition to get involved with the boss' daughter.
