Monday, June 9, 2008

Jackson assembles all-star staff in LA

Interesting note in the Boston Herald on Friday about Phil Jackson's staff.  Coach Jackson's earned nine NBA titles, including one as a player.  Joining him on the LA bench is:

Kurt Rambis, a hard-working fan-favorite as a member of four Laker title teams, who coached the team for 37 games in 1999;

Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who won five NBA titles and has coached in the USBL;

Brian Shaw and Craig Hodges, former NBA players who both won multiple titles (the Suns have expressed some interest in Shaw);

Jim Cleamons, a former head coach with the Mavericks who won a title with the Lakers in 1972 as a player and three more with Jackson in LA and Chicago; and,

Frank Hamblen, another longtime Jackson assistant who has five rings.

Says Lamar Odom:  "We learn every day from those guys, about basketball and life as well, and the poise that they teach is really unspeakable. We get to go to basketball school every day."

Adds Chris Mihm:  "We’ve got guys that have been players who’ve had success at the highest level and are really a wealth of knowledge at each of their positions. It’s been great to kind of soak up general basketball knowledge from them over the years. And the skill work at each position, they each have their strong points and they do a great job of keeping this team motivated, focused and ready to play. It’s really the best staff that I’ve ever been a part of."