One of the complications that slowed the potential remarriage of Phil Jackson and the Los Angeles Lakers was the Zen Master's reported demands for a stake in team ownership, according the Los Angeles Times' Mike Bresnahan.
Phil Jackson reportedly wanted ownership stake in Lakers
Bresnahan’s unnamed source who relayed this news to him claimed that Jackson was “asking for the moon” in his negotiations to come back to the Lakers. This news just furthers the thinking that Mike D’Antoni was a fallback option and not a front runner all along.
Furthermore, these kind of reports blatantly contradict Los Angeles’ press release, which stated that Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, executive vice president Jim Buss and general Manager Mitch Kupchak were unanimous in believing D’antoni was “the best coach for the team at the time.”
With two western conference finals appearances and a 388-339 record, D’Antoni’s resume is solid but not enough to deter some disappointed fans from speaking out on their team’s failure to give the legendary Jackson whatever he desired.
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