Is Kobe Bryant a better all-around basketball player than Michael Jordan was? Someday that might be a legitimate question, but at the moment it’s silly to even ask. And yet here’s Phil Jackson saying that yes, Bryant is better than Jordan. Please.
If this weren’t the playoffs this would be a bad joke. On the other hand, this is yet another example of why Phil Jackson is, to my mind, the best NBA coach for the modern period, bar none. The man knows exactly how to motivate his players and deal with the main obstacle to success these days — superstar egos.
If you want to judge coaches by basketball knowledge, Jackson’s definitely not your man. But like Jordan, he just knows how to win.