“We know there is no love lost between Phil Jackson and LeBron James” - Shannon Sharpe bewildered by reports of Phil Jackson wanting the Lakers to trade LeBron James
LA Lakers superstar LeBron James has been the subject of a trade conversation within the Lakers franchise. Former head coach Phil Jackson believes the Lakers should move on from James.
On Fox Sports' morning show "Skip and Shannon: Undisputed," former NFL star Shannon Sharpe believes that there is no love lost between Jackson and James. The duo have never seen eye to eye on things. Sharpe also questioned why Jackson wants to trade James and keep Russell Westbrook. Sharpe said:
"Because it is personal, we know there is no love lost between Phil Jackson and LeBron James. Phil doesn't like the way LeBron James plays because it is too one-on-one basketball.
"He just happened to have two of the best one-on-one players of all time. We know that Phil Jackson, the coach, was great, but the other role that he served with the Knicks, he was awful. This just goes to show you how bad Phil Jackson was as a general manager, as a team builder."
According to Bill Plaschke of the LA Times, Phil Jackson is advising owner Jeanie Buss to build the team around Russell Westbrook and to trade LeBron James.
.@ShannonSharpe on reports of Phil Jackson saying he'd trade LeBron and keep Westbrook:
"This just goes to show you how bad Phil Jackson was as a general manager, as a team builder. You're going to trade a Top 2 player of all-time for a guy who led the league in turnovers?" https://t.co/kKXaKe4kwG
LeBron James' political turmoil with the Lakers
While the LA Lakers have stumbled on the court, there have also been rumblings off the court with regards to the personnel in power running the franchise. Owner Jeanie Buss has to make a huge decision on the team's next coach.
LeBron James is reportedly unhappy after general manager Rob Pelinka did not make any moves at the Feb. 10 trade deadline.
James played a vital role in the acquisition of Russell Westbrook over the summer. The front office wanted Buddy Hield of the Sacramento Kings, or free agent DeMar DeRozan. But they yielded to James' demands, which backfired tremendously.
NBA stat clubs LeBron James is the only member of:
27000/7000/7000 club
28000/8000/8000 club
29000/9000/9000 club
30000/10000/10000 club
31000/10000/10000 club
32000/10000/10000 club
33000/10000/10000 club
34000/10000/10000 club
35000/10000/10000 club
36000/10000/10000 club https://t.co/HnvDl8xt1w
There were also rumors a couple of months ago of Phil Jackson returning to the Lakers as the replacement for Frank Vogel. While it would be an incredible story, it seems farfetched at the moment.
But he is involved behind the scenes with the Lakers, as he has very close ties to Jeanie Buss, Kurt and Linda Rambis. Kurt Rambis, along with his wife, has been working as a close advisor to Jeanie. The latter is close friends with the Lakers' owner.
With that said, Jackson does have a history with two players on the roster — James and Carmelo Anthony. James has admitted in the past that he isn't a fan of Phil Jackson.
The legendary coach called James' entourage a "posse" in 2016. Carmelo is another player that he had problems with during their time together with the Knicks.
Things have continued to spiral out of control on the court and it appears to be a similar case off the court as well. A proper game plan needs to be established in the summer over the direction for the Lakers' future.