Lakers Rumors: Phil Jackson Reportedly Extremely Likely to Return to Team

With the firing of head coach Mike Brown (h/t USA Today) after a 1-4 start and the installation of the putrid Princeton offense, the Los Angeles Lakers organization is reportedly considering bringing back the team’s former coach and NBA legend, Phil Jackson.

Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times is reporting on the likelihood that the Lakers would re-sign the former coach:

The Lakers are moving quickly toward hiring Phil Jackson as their next coach, with one person in the organization calling it a "95 percent" chance he will return for a third tour with the team.

The Lakers plan on meeting with Jackson on Saturday morning to make sure he is interested in the job. The unknown five percent in their equation is the chance Jackson doesn't want to fill the vacancy created by the Friday firing of Mike Brown, either because of health reasons or other unknown issues.

The mixture of so many egos on one team, such high expectations for this season and the urgency of winning now with so many older stars has forced the Lakers to realize that they have no choice; they must bring back Phil Jackson to be successful this season.

What It Means

While there weren’t many who believed interim head coach Bernie Bickerstaff was the future of the franchise, the speed in which the team has gone after a replacement proves there is no plan to retain Bickerstaff in any other capacity than as an assistant.

Many names had been thrown around since Brown was fired—Jerry Sloan and Mike D’Antoni to name just two—but the main focus of the team was always suspected to be Jackson. With a familiarity and relationship with the organization and the players, the NBA legend is a no-brainer.

Los Angeles was foolish to let him leave in the first place; no matter how much he wanted to retire.

What’s Next?

Brown wasn’t getting the most out of the All-Star team the Lakers had built this offseason, but it wasn’t entirely his fault. While injuries played a part, the awful idea of implementing the Princeton offense was ultimately the death of his time in L.A.

If Jackson does return, he will re-institute the triangle offense that made the Lakers championship worthy every season during the legendary coach’s tenure.

With so much talent and the door wide open for Jackson to rush in and save the day, the NBA legend’s ego will be too big to turn the job down.

BleacherReport | http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1403949-lakers-rumors-phil-jackson-reportedly-extremely-likely-to-return-to-team