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His absence during the Los Angeles Lakers ring ceremony Tuesday night was conspicuous to the few who recognize his extraordinary hand in Phil Jackson’s peerless success.
Most TNT viewers would not have cared had long-time Lakers PA announcer Lawrence Tanter called his name with the rest of the assistant coaches.
Casual fans rarely appreciate reclusive or terminally ill consultants.
They want Kobe Bryant and a glimpse of the legendary Jackson.
They want to see how the volatile Ron Artest will mesh with an established core.
Even if they will not admit it, they wouldn’t mind him going off the deep end just once, for the sheer entertainment value of his shenanigans.
The sports world loves a train wreck and the mere thought of controversy. It’s far easier to get listeners talking about former ESPN analyst Steve Phillips and his psycho mistress, or a declaration that LeBron James has surpassed Bryant as the league’s greatest player than the triangle offense and its intricacies.
It would not surprise me if hundreds of thousands of viewers saw Jerry West—Mr. Clutch and The Logo—introduced during the ceremony and said, “That’s the guy who said LeBron is better than Kobe.”
If you told the average NBA supporter that Jackson had coached the Chicago Bulls and Lakers to 10 championships without significant assistance, or that the coaches only prevailed because they had Bryant, Shaquille O’ Neal, Michael Jordan, and Scottie Pippen they might believe you.
Assistant coaches go unnoticed and unheralded, making far less money than the players they help make dominant or the lead sideline men who must accept the brunt of the credit for the team’s successes and failures.
Compare the volume of cheers from the Staples Center crowd for Jim Cleamons or Craig Hodges to Jackson or Bryant.
It was not close. It never is.
The purple and gold crowd attendees did not yell for Kareem Abdul-Jabbar because he has tutored starting center Andrew Bynum as a special assistant.
He won five championships as a starting center in L.A. and became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer. Any discussion of the best to ever lace 'em up should include his name.
Hall-of-Fame voters can often appear like casual fans. They seem to know less about the game than the fans or beat writers know about them. Quick can anyone name one voter on the panel that selects finalists each year for Springfield enshrinement?
The Hall is a glorification of grandiose, not a celebration of nuance.
The ring-less Allen Iverson will be a first-ballot selection because he ranks third all-time in points per game, even though another small guy, Isiah Thomas, already blazed the trail for puny point guards.
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