Phil Jackson is possibly the greatest NBA coach in history, and it isn't because of the plays he draws up on whiteboards and the game decisions he makes. Instead, it is his ability to pull a team together and drive it toward success.
On ESPN's Pardon the Interruption today, Jackson was the guest for the "5 Good Minutes" segment, where the hosts (Tony Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon) get to ask questions of the guest for 5 good minutes. I thought the final question brought an interesting answer from Jackson. Kornheiser asked why Jackson had decided to go with a clean-shaven look this season. Normally Jackson sports some kind of facial hair.
Jackson responded by saying it makes him look younger and that he likes the way it looks. But he then brought up an interesting point. He said he likes to change his look in some way each year so that the press can't run some old photo of him with a particular facial expression. This is something that has always gotten to me with the press. For example, if the Lakers lose, why do they have to run a picture of Jackson yelling at the team? If something dumbfounding happens, why the picture with the coach with his arms up in the air?
From my experience in a newsroom, newspapers do try to steer clear of these standard images, but sometimes they get run anyway. I like that Jackson is trying to fight this battle in his own unique way.
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