764: 259: The Rights of the Emperor (Request for Monthly Votes!)_3 764: 259: The Rights of the Emperor (Request for Monthly Votes!)_3 He had coached Roger, but the Bulls, faced with a critical decision, chose Michael Jordan.
If the Bulls had made a different choice back then, Phil Jackson might already have his hands full of championship rings by now.
The Zen Master shook his head; on the basketball court, “what ifs” are meaningless.
He needed to solve the immediate problem at hand, which was how to balance Kobe and Shaq.
O’Neal never knew how to control the locker room, and Kobe never wanted to play second fiddle like Pippen.
This was the most challenging locker room dynamic Phil Jackson had ever experienced in his coaching career.
Phil Jackson hesitated for a long time and finally took out his phone and made a call.
The person on the other line seemed to know this call was coming, so he answered quickly, “I’m sorry about everything that happened tonight, Phil.”
“You were right not to choose a comeback with the Lakers, Michael, we’re really not championship material yet,” Phil said.
“I already told you before, those two guys will never get it done for you unless they absolutely trust each other.”
“That’s the problem, they simply cannot trust each other.
Especially Kobe, that guy is simply uncoachable!
Last time I gave him a book, he threw it directly into the trash can!
Not even Shaq or Roger would do such a thing!
You once said Kobe was a moldable talent, what would you do if you had a teammate like that, Michael?”
Michael Jordan on the other end of the phone burst into laughter, “Phil, I only remember telling you that Kobe was a poor imitation of Roger.”
Phil Jackson didn’t respond, clearly not in the mood for jokes.
Jordan didn’t want to keep hitting his old friend where it hurt, so he got serious.
This might sting, but dude, those lousy books you used to send me, I never flipped through them.
To be honest, all that stuff was useless to me.
I didn’t read your books and it didn’t stop us from winning three championships.
Sometimes you have to let Kobe be Kobe.
With basketball players, you look at their competitiveness, whether they’re giving their all on and off the court, whether they’re fully committed, that’s it.
If he’s got all that, nothing else matters.”
At the beginning, I also didn’t want to play the triangle offense, that trick of yours was all about taking the ball away from the star player.
But just like the plan we had back then, use the triangle offense when needed, and when I want it, give the ball to Michael Jordan.”
“I’m still not high on the immature OK duo, but you guys can definitely do better.”
Caught off guard, the Zen Master took a deep breath, “I’m glad you took my call, Michael.”
Phil Jackson had always seen himself as a master at managing people’s hearts, but now he felt his old tactics were incredibly naive.
He liked to play mysterious, to maintain his aura of inscrutability, thinking it would enhance his prestige.
Now, he decided to get more pragmatic.
Just like Jordan said, since Kobe was uncontrollable, it was time to unleash him.
At least the kid still wanted to win.
The Zen Master recalled what Kobe said in the press conference not long ago:
What have we broken through?
Playing basketball isn’t about getting 69 wins or just getting out of the West.
Second place means we’re the first loser.
The only thing we do next is get ready to come back.
This season’s Atlanta was great, but this season is over.”
The Zen Master decided to strengthen the team over the summer.
The team needed to improve its defense and needed players who desired the championship even more.
After fixing all of this, he would unleash Kobe!
With the OK duo’s talent, it would be a waste to give up on them.
The Zen Master wanted to take one last shot, to beat the unbeatable!
Even if he had to go through a hundred hardships, he wouldn’t stop himself from trying one more time!
Phil Jackson turned off the lights in the locker room and left the Staples Center, which was now deserted.
When he got to the parking lot, he saw Jeanie Buss waiting for him.
“Don’t be sad, Phil, we’ve still got next season.
I know you’re upset, so come on, let’s heal those wounds.
You need a wild night to forget everything that’s happened.”
Phil Jackson gave a wry smile.
It’s clear that you’re the one who needs a wild night!
The Zen Master never imagined that his first challenge would come so abruptly.
The next day, both Roger and the Zen Master woke up from bed.
One was on the verge of passing out, while the other was still full of life.
Roger wrapped his arms around Gisele Bundchen from behind, turning her “annoyed, Roger…
What a lively morning it was.
In the afternoon, Eric Fleisher arrived at Roger’s house to discuss the most important thing for the summer: contract extension.
Under the rules of the new collective bargaining agreement, Roger could get a salary that accounted for 30% of the salary cap for the following season, which was non-negotiable.
The only negotiable part was the duration of the contract.
Drawing on his experience, Eric Fleisher wanted Roger to sign a 2+1 short term deal.
This was because the old broadcasting agreement would expire in 2002, and each new broadcasting agreement would be accompanied by a significant increase in the salary cap.
If the salary cap increase exceeded the raise in his contract, Roger could opt out using the player option to maximize his earnings.
If the salary cap increase did not exceed the raise in his contract, Roger could choose not to exercise the player option and continue with the existing contract.