Phil butchered his 'do—and team

Sporting News, The, April 16, 2001 by Jay Mariotti

Phil Jackson's problems start with his hair. The look is best described as minimalist beatnik, butchered and bowl-like, inspired by a girlfriend who just happens to be his boss' daughter.

It is accentuated by a "soul patch," a dab of stubble on his chin.

"It's there to cover a wart," he says.

No, it's there because Phil has completely wigged out, turning the best basketball term in the world into another dysfunctional L.A. family. Last year, when his cosmic being was more grounded, he focused on providing straight guidance for Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant while cunningly leading the Lakers to an NBA championship. But this season, Jackson is far more consumed by another subject.

Himself.

Ever see a coach gut such a beautiful thing with the blunt force of his raging ego? In one senseless, six-month swoop, Jackson let his two superstars squabble like little boys, launched a bloody feud with Bryant that might result in a trade, betrayed his players' trust by divulging locker room secrets and reduced the Lakers to a possible first-round playoff casualty.

Granted, coaching the combustible mix of Kobe and Shaq can be a thankless devil's triangle. But hey, this is the Zen Master, the future Hall of Famer and hip chemist of basketball psyches. We hold him aloft to the highest of standards, as he does. And there's no reasonable explanation why a man with seven title rings is running a three-ring circus, why someone who figured out the Shaq-Kobe puzzle last year is hopelessly lost now.

Just when Jackson seemed the one special presence capable of managing today's hoop brats, he became one himself. Is it possible he's thumbing his nose at everyone and preparing for a sudden resignation, after which he'll hop on his bike with Jeanie Buss and head to Montana to stare at buffalo and hunt for Bigfoot? With the playoffs just weeks away, he should have been fixing his relationship with Bryant and prepping the Lakers for a difficult Western Conference journey. Instead, he spent precious time popping up on every TV show but Zoog Disney. He had a new book to sell, you see, and with it came an indulgent wave of self-promotion that might have been good for sales and image advancement but wasn't healthy for the Lakers.

At every stop, Jackson dove into sensitive subjects. He bent Jay Leno's ear about his Shaq-Kobe dilemma as if talking to a shrink He told Craig Kilborn he desperately missed Glen Rice, to which the host responded: "Then why the hell did you get rid of him?" On 60 Minutes II, he explained the circumstances behind his split with wife June and rather quick hookup with Ms. Buss, daughter of Lakers owner Jerry Buss, along with an explanation of why he burns incense in the locker room. You came away thinking Jackson not only is weirder than ever, but that he's quite a hypocrite, the antithesis of the old Free Love Phil who used to rail against corporate America. Now, he peddles InPhilmercials.

In his selfish zeal, he only exacerbated his war with Bryant. By now, Lakers insiders figured Jackson would have tensions under control and devised a way for Shaq and Kobe to coexist. That's why he's paid the big bucks, right? But Phil has turned on Bryant, picking on him mercilessly, forgetting the kid is still 22 and coming off a great title run.

When Bryant entered the season demanding status as The Man, Jackson was faced with his biggest challenge, more daunting than his internal spats in Chicago. Back then, he always had Michael Jordan as his patrolman. This lime, he has himself.

Operation Kobe has been a miserable failure for him. Yes, as the $30 million coach, it is his fault That became apparent when he needlessly ripped Bryant last month, saying he's selfish and disillusioned in the triangle offense. Funny, I recall Jordan questioning the same offense about a decade ago without a peep from Jackson.

Where Phil crosses the line is when he humiliates Bryant publicly. Did he really have to say Kobe, in rejecting one of Jackson's book club selections, isn't "willing to let someone else's ideas penetrate his mind?" It was more dangerous to suggest Bryant "used to sabotage his own games" in high school "so the game could be dose, so he could dominate at the end." That prompted a phone call from Am Tellum, Bryant's agent, who warned Jackson about slander laws.

"It's going to have a backlash," said Bryant, putting it mildly.

You'd like to think the chaos is part of some grand motivational plan. In truth, it's Jackson trying to distance himself from blame when the Lakers lose in the playoffs. His last playoff setback came in 1995, when Jordan was recuperating from Southern League curveballs and Waffle Houses. A loss would be followed by the inevitable Bryant Wade talk, which already is being published by Jackson-friendly writers.

How crazy is that? You don't dump the game's most precious young commodity. If anything, you sacrifice the coach who can't make it work. And if you lose a daughter in the process, hey, airs fair in love and sport.

Jay Mariotti is host of a show for Sporting News Radio and is a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times. Listen to his show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Eastern). To find an affiliate near you, e-mail affiliates@sportingnews.com or listen live online at sportingnews.com.