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djsunyc
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L.A. Showdown: Brown, Jackson meet again
By John Carroll
When Phil Jackson and Larry Brown walk onto the Staples Center floor tonight, it will be the first time these two coaches have met since June 16, 2004. That was Game 5 of the NBA Finals and the Detroit Pistons, the team Brown coached, won 100-87, clinching the title.
Approximately 17 months have elapsed since that day and these two men have gone through messy basketball divorces with the teams they were coaching that night. Phil, after a yearlong hiatus and a tell-all book, reconciled with his former team and returned to the Shaq-less Lakers. Larry was hired by the Knicks, his "dream job," after leading the Pistons to the NBA Finals two years in a row.
Both men are a long way from where they were that night in June 2004. Last year was the first time in 29 years that both New York and LA missed the playoffs and that might not change this year. The Lakers and Knicks both lack the talent required to be title contenders. Phil and Larry must utilize their leadership and communication skills to help their respective teams sneak into the playoffs. Their Hall of Fame coaching abilities will be required to reestablish the discipline, mental toughness and unselfishness required to develop an elite team.
No one doubts that the Lakers and Knicks will eventually have success. However, this will be a tricky year for both. There are many questions that must be resolved. Let's take a closer look at each team and we get a clearer picture of what lies ahead for these high-profile franchises this year.
Talent comparison
Both coaches would be the first to tell you that talent wins. Both of these teams lack the depth of talent necessary to make a deep playoff run. But do they have enough talent to sneak into the playoffs?
Lakers: Kobe is one of the top 4-5 players in the NBA. When the Lakers won three NBA Championships, they had one of the best inside-outside combinations with Kobe and Shaq. The Lakers have no one to replicate what Shaq did. Chris Mihm and Kwame Brown are nice complementary players but have not showed the ability to score consistently in the low post.
Lamar Odom can put up big numbers and creates a lot of matchup problems for opponents. He is averaging 14.6 ppg and 9.7 rpg but is struggling from the field. His field goal percentage is down to .398 from his career average of .444. It is hard to win in the NBA with an unproven point guard, which the Lakers have. Smush Parker has bounced around the NBA and NBDL. He has had some excellent outings early in the season, and is averaging 13 ppg, but it is hard to believe he can get this team into the playoffs with a very poor 3.1/2.0 assist-turnover ratio.
New York: During the 20 months Isiah Thomas has been in charge of the Knicks, he has been responsible for eight major trades. New York is currently one of two teams in the NBA with a $100 million or higher payroll (Dallas is the other). With all of these changes, New York still has major talent issues. The Knicks lack a true point guard; Stephon Marbury is a scoring point guard and Nate Robinson is not a point. Brown would prefer to play Marbury at shooting guard.
In addition, because of the Knicks' roster imbalance, several of their players are playing out of position (i.e. Quentin Richardson and Jamal Crawford). The Knicks rid themselves of their only tough, hard-nosed defender when they let Kurt Thomas go to Phoenix. Eddy Curry might be able to help them in the future but he is struggling early in the season; he is not in NBA shape and he does not command the ball in the low post or finish when he gets it.
The Knicks appear close to trading Malik Rose. Jerome James, their $30 million free agent pick-up from the summer, is a bust. The Knicks are very high on their two draft picks, Channing Frye and David Lee, and refuse to discuss their names in trade discussions.
Advantage: Lakers. The Lakers have a lot of issues to resolve, but Kobe is off to a great start. He knows his role, averaging 29.9 ppg (second in the NBA) and I believe that Phil Jackson will develop Odom into a reliable second option offensively for the Lakers.
Uh, a match made in heaven?
The headache factor
Each team has internal problems with star players and coaches, roster issues and trade rumors. In addition, both teams must improve their execution on the court. Which team has more problems?
New York: Isiah brought Marbury to New York to be the face of the franchise. Now there is talk of trading him. He has been traded three times already, spending at least 2½ years with each team. Marbury said last year that he was "the best point guard in the NBA." Larry Brown isn't even sure he is a point guard. Marbury looks confused, even lost at times. Brown was quoted after a recent game that the opponent's "point guard won the game."
Brown has had two hard-nosed, defensive players in Eric Snow and Chauncey Billups in his last two coaching stops. It will be interesting to watch the drama unfold between Brown and Marbury. Will Brown be able to change Stephon's old habits or will their relationship just deteriorate?
Another development to watch is the relationship between Isiah and Larry. It appears from the outside that Larry is not happy with the roster Thomas has created. Will Isiah trade players that he brought to the franchise? Neither Larry nor Isiah is happy with the team's 2-5 record and owner Jim Dolan cannot be happy with his payroll. It will be interesting to see whether Isiah gives Larry the players he can coach and develop into a Eastern Conference winner. Stay tuned.
Lakers: It appears that Phil and Kobe need each other. Kobe needs Phil to prove he can win without Shaq, and Phil needs Kobe to silence his critics that he cannot win without having a star-laden team. Kobe talks about "trusting each other" and Phil says he and Kobe have developed a "safe zone" regarding issues they will talk about. Sounds more like Dr. Phil. It appears Kobe realizes that last year was so bad that Jackson is one of the few coaches who can quickly restore leadership and direction to the Lakers. Thus whatever Phil wants, Kobe will do.
The Lakers have talent issues they must address. They need a starting NBA point guard. Parker is a backup at best. Although he is off to a nice start, if the Lakers intend to be a deep playoff team next season they must elevate that position. The trade for Kwame Brown has some people wondering. Brown has been an inconsistent player in his short time in the NBA, while Caron Butler who the Lakers traded, is averaging 17.8 ppg and 5.5 rpg for the Washington Wizards. GM Mitch Kupchak must work diligently to supply Jackson more firepower offensively and a tougher inside presence.
One of the problems Jackson must address is the Lakers' inability to score in the fourth quarter, when they rely solely on Kobe. Against Minnesota, they scored only 13 points in the fourth with Kobe going 0-for-5 from the field; and against the 76ers he was 2-for-7. Also, Phil must find a way to keep teams off-balance so they cannot load up on Bryant. This might be one of his biggest challenges as a coach this season.
In addition, Phil must be careful with Kobe and Lamar's minutes. They are both averaging 40-plus mpg. Over the season, they will get worn down and injured playing that type of minutes.
Advantage: Lakers. Although both teams have problems, it appears that Phil and Kobe are on the same page and Kobe is off to a terrific start this season. In New York, Larry and Stephon appear headed for a head-on collision. Being on the same page, or at least in the "safe zone" with your star, gives the Lakers the edge.
Flying coach class
Jackson and Brown, two of the NBA's winningest coaches and brightest teachers of the game, have challenges ahead of them this year. Which coach is more prepared for what is ahead?
Phil Jackson: Unlike Larry, Phil has only had two NBA stops; Chicago and LA. During his 15 years, he has won nine NBA championships and has a winning percentage of .723. In his worst season, his team won 47 games. This year will be a challenge unlike any before. Phil has said the goal is to make the playoffs. He summed up this season by saying, "It's like baking a cake, you must put in all the ingredients, put it all together and see how it works out." Although Phil has Kobe, the Lakers are without a dominant big man. Odom is a talented complement to Kobe, but there is a big drop-off after that. It will be interesting to see what percentage of the offense is the "triangle," or whether Phil will go to more sets for Kobe and Lamar.
Larry Brown: Everywhere Larry goes, wins follow. Seven of the eight NBA teams he has coached have had a four-game or more improvement in his first year. Only once did his team not improve in his first year. He is a coach who prides himself on teaching the game the correct way. He's hard on his players, especially point guards, but over time he gets results.
His teams have been league leaders in defense and on offense he has been a big proponent of player and ball movement, not just isolations and clearouts for star players. The hiring of Larry Brown was a coup for Isiah Thomas; it brought instant credibility. The players have no choice but to do as Larry says; with his direction and vision, the Knicks will improve each month of the season.
Last season, the Knicks led 18 times going into the fourth quarter. They won only two of those games in OT and dropped the other 16. This year, Brown will develop mental toughness, change the losing mentality, and help the Knicks out-execute their opponents and win tight games in the fourth quarter.
Advantage: Larry Brown. Although they are the best in the business, Larry's experience taking teams that are down and building them back up will give him the upper hand. Although the Knicks are down, Brown acknowledges that he is looking forward to the challenge and recognizes that if he can bring a championship to New York, it is not only good for the Knicks, but for all of basketball.
Phil Jackson has nine NBA Championship rings. Larry Brown has won both an NBA Championship and an NCAA Championship. They are coaching in two of the most visible NBA markets, where success is marked only by winning and winning big. The Knicks and Lakers will be back in the playoffs by next year, and soon competing for an NBA title. However, this year will be a challenge for both men, who must use their coaching and leadership skills to get their respective franchises to play the "right way."
Tonight's game will give us a glimpse at two of the premier coaches in the NBA and what the future looks like for each.
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