Jeanie Buss says Lakers aren't planning on luring Phil Jackson back
Her brother may be on the hot seat, but the president and governor of the Los Angles Lakers says she isn't trying to bring her fianc* back to L.A.
By
Matt Moore
•
1 min read
There have been rumors percolating that Phil Jackson is slowly starting to formulate an exit strategy to leave the Knicks and return to the Los Angeles Lakers. However, in an interview with USA Today, part owner and team president Jeanie Buss shot down that speculation:
Translation: despite recent speculation that she might expedite the timeline in order to bring her fiancé, New York Knicks president Phil Jackson, back to the Lakers, there is no such covert plan as it relates to next summer. Jackson signed a five-year, $60 million deal with the Knicks in March of 2014.
“It really isn’t about trying to get him back here (to the Lakers),” Buss said. “He is happy with what he is doing, and he … is up for the (Knicks) challenge, and he’s seeing the results of the work that he’s put in. But he has a ways to go.”
Source: Jeanie Buss unplugged: Lakers, Kobe, Phil and Byron.
So that's Jeanie Buss, on record, saying that whatever the Lakers do with her brother Jim Buss and his plan (which is supposed to get the Lakers back to the Western Conference Finals next season), the plan is not to just re-install Phil Jackson. However, one of the reasons it remains on the table is how unstable the Knicks continue to be.
With James Dolan in charge, you just can't have any confidence in there being long-term continuity there. Jackson himself is old enough to not want to fight certain battles. If there are any schisms in the front office, Jackson could very well decide to bail on the situation and return to L.A. with warmer weather and the woman he loves. (Jackson and Jeanie Buss are engaged.)
So right now, no, there are no plans for Jackson to return to the purple and gold. But as we've seen with Jackson time and time again, it's best to never say never.
