Mens Basketball Wire

Phil Jackson’s induction to the Basketball Hall of Fame was a chance for him to reflect on a lifetime of championships, success, and records set. It was also a time for him to reflect of the woes that plague his current Lakers team, and to make some statements to back up Kobe Bryant’s complaints about lack of help on the team. Just after the NBA season ended, Kobe asked for a trade, saying that the Lakers’ front office had misled him about their dedication to bringing in better players.

Kobe (and many others) couldn’t believe it when the Lakers’ brass balked at putting together a package with young Andrew Bynum as the key, to try to lure Kevin Garnett or Jason Kidd to Lakerland. In fact, the Lakers had an almost static off-season–their only moves being to re-sign Chris Mihm and Luke Walton, and to bring Derek Fisher back into the fold. Rumors still persist that Jermaine O’Neal is still looking for an out from Indiana, but the likelihood of LA’s front office pulling off a trade for him seem minuscule.

Jackson’s statements were pretty strong, even going so far as to say that the front office had made promises regarding personnel that were still unfulfilled. His statements basically echoed what Kobe has been saying all summer. Of course, what else would you expect Phil to say? Without Kobe on the team, the Lakers likely couldn’t beat LA’s other team, the lowly Clippers, three out of ten times. Take Kobe away and you and four friends could hang with the Lakers.

Phil may be lots of things, Hall of Fame coach, Zen Master, triangle guru, but he’s certainly no fool.

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