Why Zen works

Phil Jackson is dating Jeannie Buss, the 39-year old daughter of Lakers owner Jerry Buss.
He lives in Los Angeles.
He's coaching the second-best player in the NBA.
He's dating a 39-year old and he's, yes, 63. Somewhere Celine Dion is smiling and saying "I told you I wasn't weird!"

But Jackson is more than a stud, he's the greatest NBA coach -- ever. Those who disagree will say the late Red Auerbach, who coached the Boston Celtics to nine championships, was the best.

Red won eight titles in a row with Boston, a feat that will likely never be topped. (But let's not kid ourselves, Jackson would have won eight straight in Chicago had Jordan not gone and played that other sport.)

Jackson has 10 titles in the salary cap/free agent era, where players constantly jump ship for money. Red coached essentially the same core group for most of the championships, Russell, K.C. Jones, Sam Jones, John Havlicek and Bob Cousy. Jackson has won titles with four different groups: the 1991-93 Bulls, the 1996-98 Bulls, the 2000-02 Lakers and the 2009 Lakers. Nothing against Red, but winning 10 titles in this era is significantly harder than it was in the '60s.

Everyone wants to say Jackson had all the talent. He had Jordan, Pippen, Shaq and Kobe on his side. But no one brings up the fact that when the NBA announced the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, FOUR were from Red's dynasty with the Celtics.

Red had Russell, who for all we know is pretty much the greatest teammate ever. Dealing with egos wasn't as difficult as it is nowadays, and when you have a guy like Russell on your team, it makes it that much easier. Look who Phil had to deal with. Jordan -- who wouldn't pass to his teammates at the end of a game (much like a certain #24 on the Lakers) until Phil got there. He somehow got Dennis Rodman to buy into his philosophy and help win three titles. He made sure Scottie Pippen, who would have put up far better numbers had he been the man (he set career highs in scoring and rebounding in 1994, when Jordan was playing baseball), never let the fact that he was Jordan's Robin effect the team. Then he somehow got Kobe and Shaq to coexist. Everyone knows the two didn't get along, but he got the two to play together.

Some believe that you can't argue which coach was better, I for one thought Phil was the best before this year. But now that he has 10, the fact remains that Phil has more titles than Red in a much harder environment.

Big gulps, eh?

Without any true connection to either the Red Wings or Penguins, my mind was free to wander after Game 7 on Friday. It was neat to see Sidney Crosby accept the Stanley Cup as the youngest captain in NHL history and to see Mario Lemieux hoist it above his head. But the multiple awkward moments truly made it a memorable experience.

To begin with, we have to watch Marian Hossa shake hands with the Penguins, the team he played with for four months last season. Next, NBC microphones pick up Red Wings coach Mike Babcock telling Crosby, "that's great leadership." Crosby says thanks, but doesn't really look Babcock in the eye. You almost feel bad for him, like he was trying to be nice and Crosby just didn't reciprocate.

A few minutes later, Evgeni Malkin, who had the highest playoff point total since the L.A. Kings' Wayne Gretzky in 1993, was presented with the Conn Smythe Award. So....Crosby....yeah. He's kind of the posterboy of the NHL, so was he really happy for his teammate? NBC did a good job of showing his reaction, and he looked pretty happy for him. But still, fun to ponder.

This part happens every year, but there are few things as uncomfortable to watch as when the Stanley Cup gets passed around. It starts with the captain, who usually passes it on to an elder teammate. Once the old guys have their chance, it starts to get interesting. The player looks at his group and thinks "Hmm...you weren't important, you were, you weren't, oh, ok, I'll give it to you."

When NBC's on-ice reporter interviewed Marc Andre Fleury it was like listening to Ozzy Osbourne during the seventh-inning stretch.

And who will ever forget poor old Gary Bettman. You knew he was the most disappointed person inside Joe Louis Arena when Pittsburgh won. He knew he'd get hear the boo birds, but presenting the Stanley Cup to the Penguins in Detroit? You know who else knew? The two guys who were smirking while carrying the Cup onto the ice..."Oh man, I can't wait to see that little guy behind the mic!" Bettman literally had to scream to be heard over the booing, and if that wasn't enough, his whole body shakes when he screams.

Love me some NHL.
-Pros

Anyone can jump out of a pool

We all know the Jarron Gilbert can jump out of a pool. Just in case you've never seen it, here it is.

When this video came out, it was one of the most impressive things I had ever seen.

A few days ago, this video surfaced of Washington Redskin wide receiver Keith Eloi. Sorry Gilbert, but you got owned.

Second-best? Yup.

Believe it or not people, but you're watching the second-greatest shooting guard to ever play in the NBA — J.J. Redick. Coach K just smacked his forehead. I mean Adam Morrison. His tailor just smacked his forehead.

The Black Mamba, ladies and gentlemen. He's here all week, or until he breaks his jaw from clenching it too hard.

Whether the Lakers win this series is irrelevant. Bryant's name is firmly etched in stone as the best shooting guard not named Michael Jordan. Jerry West is his toughest competition, but Bryant tops him.

West was a 14-time all-star, and one of the toughest and competitive players to play the game.
He also hit a 60-foot buzzer-beater to send Game 3 of the 1970 Finals against the Knicks into overtime, which only added to his legendary status as "Mr. Clutch." His numbers were staggering (27ppg, 5.8rpg, 6.7apg) and are better than Bryant's (25.1, 5.3, 4.6). But here's where Mr. West loses ground — he was 1-7 in the NBA Finals. If you want to play the But-wait-Kobe-had-Shaq-card, well, West had Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain, so explain that. Bryant is 3-2 right now, and that will likely improve to 4-2 in the next few days.

Figuring out the best at a certain position is hard. There are so many factors. Some people lean heavily on pure statistics while others label team success as the main barometer. It has to be a mix of both. West had better numbers, but played his whole career with two Hall of Famers. Bryant's best year, 2005-06, was with this team. Shivvers. Of course Bryant's numbers were inflated because of the inferior nature of his teammates, but it also says something that when Kobe was the man, he absolutely dominated. It's an unfair point because West never had that opportunity, but West also played with Baylor and Wilt and ended with just one title.

When I stop and think about it, labeling Bryant behind Jordan still seems ridiculous. It feels like only yesterday he was a cocky first-year guard who airballed like 3000 shots in a game one time. But then again, if Nike turns you into a puppet, you've got to be pretty good.

Maturity won't be the problem folks

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I love this time of the year. Not only do you have the NBA Playoffs, NHL Playoffs, and division races in the MLB heating up, but the NFL is still taking up headlines as well!

Tony Dungy, former head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, has decided he will be joining NBC as a studio football analyst. Yesterday he came on "Waddle & Silvy," a morning sports talk show in Chicago and was asked about a variety of football topics. Being interviewed by a Chicago station, of course the talk steered towards the new quarterback in town, Mr. Jay Cutler:

"[The Bears] took a risk [trading for Cutler]. I think they took that risk specifically with beating the Green Bay Packers in mind," Dungy said. "I really think Chicago gave up a lot to get a quarterback who they believe is going to be the final piece of the puzzle. But I am not sure he has won enough to merit that yet."

When asked specifically about him having the maturity to lead the Bears, he had this to say:

"That remains to be seen. He is a very talented guy who can throw the ball very well. But quarterbacking is so much about leadership and so much about doing things under pressure. There is going to be a lot of pressure on him," Dungy said. "We'll see about his maturity level. That's what I would question. And some of the things that happened leading to him leaving Denver ... that would concern me as a head coach," Dungy added, according to the report. "He can make all of the throws, but quarterbacking is much more than just making throws."

Here is the link to the article on ESPN.com and radio bit.

Welcome back to the football world Coach Dungy, glad to see your back! People close to me know I have been supporting the trade that brought Cutler over from Denver, even after that messy divorce. They paid a high price but a price that will be worth it if Cutler continues to grow as a player the way he has his first several seasons in the league.

However, people have been on both sides of the fence when it comes to Cutler and how he handled the situation with new Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels. Supposedly, after the last coach, Mike Shanahan, was fired, Cutler asked owner Pat Bowlen for assurance that no one else from the offensive staff would be let go. Bowlen said sure and soon after the staff was axed. McDaniels then comes on board, tells Cutler he is excited to work with him and develop him into an even better quarterback. Word comes out soon after that McDaniels had been actively trying to trade Cutler in hopes to bring Matt Cassel, the quarterback he worked with at his last stop, the New England, to the Broncos.

What followed was a he said this, he said that dialogue between Cutler, McDaniels, and Bowlen. Lot of bad talk, ignored phone calls and text messages, and essentially feelings hurt. It was quite the soap opera that had the NFL world hooked, seeing what would happen next and where Cutler would end up. The result was a Cutler trade to the Chicago.

Here's what I think of that situation: No one handled the situation perfectly, not even Jay Cutler. That said, if the information that came out is true, that Bowlen went back on his word about the offensive staff and that McDaniels came in thinking to himself that Cutler was not ideal for his offense and wanted to trade him from the start, then I got some real beef with that. New coaches who come in and make wholesale changes rarely have immediate and/or long-term success. I think how Mike Tomlin, the head coach of the defending world champion Pittsburgh Steelers, handled getting the job several years back. Tomlin was a defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings and a strong supporter of the 4-3 defense. He did not come in saying they must switch from the 3-4, a staple in Pittsburgh throughout the years. He also had dinner with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, outlining what he wants to do and hear what has been successful. He got on the same page with everyone right from the start.

McDaniels needs to do a lot to make up for running the franchise quarterback out of town. If McDaniels hadn't gotten hired, Cutler would still be there most likely. The fact remains that Cutler was extremely well liked by the fans and more importantly his teammates. He was getting better every year, already with a Pro Bowl appearance under his belt. The trade the Chicago Bears made for Cutler is a once in a lifetime kind of deal. You do not see 26 year old quarterbacks who aren't even in their prime yet go on the trade market. YOU JUST DON'T. Teams usually cater to these guys, these potential superstars, knowing they will be the face of the franchise for the next decade. They know these guys will make or break season ticket sales and fan support for the years ahead. Why do you think the Los Angeles Lakers picked Kobe Bryant over Phil Jackson and Shaquille O'Neal?

We clearly don't know everything that happened behind the scenes in Denver. Some of the media and some fans began to label Cutler as a "crybaby" or a "prima donna." Again, I say maybe he didn't handle the situation perfectly but he is afforded some respect and deserves some honesty. Denver made a commitment to him, both verbally and by rewarding him with a new deal, and then they hire a young guy to run the team and who wants to run him out of town. Something isn't right.

Now regarding what Coach Dungy said, there is no doubt the Bears took a risk. Any time you give up your quarterback and two first round draft picks, you are taking a risk. In regards to his maturity level, time will tell. Again, this guy had teammates who loved him and the same with his coaching staff. I believe Bears general manager Jerry Angelo when he says they did their homework and believe this is an isolated situation. Like I said, it's not every day when a 26 year old Pro Bowl quarterback is available. Angelo knows what character issues can do to a team and I have faith that he won't bring a guy with maturity or leadership issues on board.

I'm more excited for this upcoming season than any one in recent memory. I've already seen a Cutler jersey on the streets of Chicago and they will begin to pop up everywhere. Bears fans should have faith in this guy and believe in him and the team. All too often we are too negative about this stuff and want to jump on an individual and/or an organization. I think the Bears got this one right. If Jay Cutler fails in Chicago, it won't be because of "maturity" issues.

Kobe has grown up, just like you and I!

Apologies for those looking for a post yesterday. Gotta adjust to things on the fly in life, ya know?

I want to give a shout out to the "Mougars" team of City Year Chicago for putting on a beautiful service day. Everything from the volunteers to the murals to the grilling was fantastic, big props!

One of my favorite things to do is talk sports with casual sports fans; that is, people who might not watch sports on a regular basis and follow a particular team or sport closely. It's funny thinking that in high school and college, I was surrounded by people who I talked sports with 24/7. Whether it was with Pros, on the radio at DePauw, with my fraternity brothers, the arguments and debates never stopped and they got pretty heated at times, even down right nasty. Debates became personal and the facts became moot. Those were the days.

Working at City Year Chicago the past ten months, I've been around only a couple people who I share the same passion for sports with. My team would tell you that I talk sports more with the 3rd-5th graders we work with in our after school program than with anyone on the team. Pros can attribute to that as when he came to my school just several weeks back, he got into a great conversation with one of my favorite kids on how the Chicago Bulls would improve this off season . Mind you, this kid is in fourth grade but he was dropping names and strategies left and right. Pros, we need to get Kristopher on the blog soon, ok?

I bring up this point of "casual fans" because of all the talk about Kobe Bryant, the leader and superstar of the Los Angeles Lakers. The amount of Kobe haters out there is mind blowing, especially with the recent "holiness" of LeBron James. People love to hate Kobe and there are plenty of things that people point to:

- The rape charges and how he's a horrible human being and an awful family man.
- His past relationship with Shaquille O'Neal and the falling out they had after the 2003-2004 season, along with Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who left the team only to come back about a year later.
- His scoring numbers during the Lakers rebuilding years, people pointing to Kobe as a ball hog and a selfish teammate.

The people who make these statements forget how much they have grown themselves in their own lives. People make mistakes, people do bad, regrettable things, what not. The funny thing when it comes to Kobe is that people take the things from his past and apply it to his life and basketball career right now. It's even harder when Kobe is being compared to Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest athlete of all time. However, people fail to think about how Michael grew as a player and a human being (if you want to even argue that second part...). Michael filed for divorce several years back with his wife Juanita and there were enough rumors on what exactly prompted that. Couple that with his horrible gambling habits that carry their own juicy stories (year off anyone?) and the fact he too was routinely seen yelling at teammates and coaches, how is Michael any different of a person than Kobe?

Yes, I am a Kobe Bryant fan and I'll tell you why: because this guy has grown up and is the best basketball player I've ever watched, period. I barely remember watching Michael as I wasn't even a huge basketball fan back then. This is not about LeBron versus Kobe or what LeBron will do later in his career. I'm asking people to look at what Kobe has done, is doing, and what he might accomplish in a month's time.

We as fans all too often want to point to an athlete and bring him down as a human being. I find sadness in this as in many ways, they are no different than you and I. Kobe pumps his own gas, he goes to the grocery store, and he cries. Coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke University and Team USA basketball came to my school earlier this year to talk with students about the importance of reading. He talked about following your dream as well and then talked about Kobe. Let us remember that this past summer was the first time the grizzled veteran Kobe Bryant got to wear the red, white, and blue for Team USA in the Olympics (he was injured in 2004). Coach K said that when the players were issued the jerseys, all the other players such as LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Chris Paul, threw on their jerseys and flashed big smiles, high fiving each other. Kobe did not put his jersey on, instead staring at it and began crying in front of all the guys. It took LeBron and Dwyane Wade to come over and calm him down because he realized he finally got to do something he hadn't done and that he would represent his country in the Olympics.

People need to take a step back when making judgements on people, especially when it comes to athletes and celebrities. It's amazing how quick we are to put a label on people and how those labels stick on certain individuals. It's also about crafting your own argument and not jumping on what others have to say. Weren't we taught at a young age to question what is said and what is around us daily? When it comes to the media and sport, we need to do that. Yes, Kobe is on the verge of accomplishing something special and is about to reach the top of the mountain after being there and being thrown off, some to his own fault. He has battled his way back and has learned how to be a true, all around basketball player, especially after winning the MVP last season for the first time in his career. He always talks about the journey and working hard to attain what he wants, something that few in the NBA do better than him. Let us examine those attributes and his growth and let us think about that while we watch the NBA Finals. If you're gonna say he doesn't pass the ball to his teammates, watch an entire game first. If you're gonna say he is a bad person, try to examine something he might be doing well instead of focusing on the faults. Then let's talk.

Morning Wrap-Up

Why I love Danny Ainge: During day two of the NBA Predraft Camp this morning, Andy Katz interviewed Boston Celtics G.M. Danny Ainge. Katz spoke to Ainge about his health, after the former Celtic suffered a heart attack over a month ago. Then Katz asked Ainge what he thought of the new predraft format, which went away from the traditional 5-on-5 scrimmage to a NFL-like combine. Good thing to know we're on the same page:

"It's horrible. These next three house are a waste of time. I could be playing golf right now. "

Fantastic

New logo?: Last night Jerry West, whose silhouette is on the NBA's logo, told ESPN's Niel Everett he was open to a possible change to the logo. He said Michael Jordan should be on the new logo. How sick would this look on the NBA logo?

Colin Cowherd of "The Herd" on ESPN radio has a contest to see who can come up with the best MLB logo. It's currently this, but a combination of this, this , this and this would look pretty good.

And of course: LeBron was pretty good, yeah. But four of his teammates scored in double-figures, which is the only reason the Cavs won last night. Game 6 is Orlando's to lose. The pressure has shifted from solely being on Cleveland to being on both teams. Cleveland is expected to win the series, but only eight teams have blown a 3-1 series league in NBA playoff history.

-Pros