Phil Jackson has emerged once again as an influential part of the Los Angeles Lakers franchise, with the hiring of Frank Vogel and Jason Kidd signaling that influence is growing.
Jackson, as you may know, was romantically involved with Jeanie Buss for nearly 17 years and they were engaged for four years. But Jackson is also a confidant of Kurt Rambis, who has seen his role grow in the organization. Rambis’ increased influence can’t be separated from his wife Linda Rambis, who many see as operating as the team’s shadow owner. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Jackson and Rambis both pushed for the Vogel hire.
That reporting was corroborated by his ESPN colleague Dave McMenamin.
So there you have it, Phil Jackson is back in the mix and it looks like he is here to stay. Jackson liked Vogel and nearly hired him to run the Knicks. That ended with Jackson hiring Jeff Hornacek, who had Rambis on staff as an assistant.
Rambis’ track record has mostly been as an assistant coach and Jackson’s tenure as the executive of the New York Knicks was marked by several disappointing moves such as the Derrick Rose trade and the massive contract offer to Joakim Noah when both players were clearly past their best days.
