The Next Phil Jackson?

"Me? Really?"

       Early in the Bulls championship run, was Phil Jackson as lauded as he is now? I think not. Greatness is best appreciated, and might I add exaggerated, over time. Phil Jackson is seen as the zen master; the great manger of superstar talents and their egos. Won't the same be said about Eric Spolestra?

       Think about it.  Who is better than the Miami Heat right now?  It is all but certain, unless the Spurs or Lakers reach the NBA Finals, that Miami will win the title this year.  And I do not see any other NBA team becoming significantly better in the next year.  The Heat have an opportunity here to run off 3 or 4 championships in a row.  The number of championships can easily climb to as high as 7 or 8 if Lebron decides to re-sign with Miami in a few years when his contract is expired.

       If this happens, expect Spolestra to take as much criticism as Phil Jackson took after his run with Michael Jordan in Chicago.  People will say "well if I had Lebron and Wade, I'd be winning championships too."  While there is some truth to that, placing a bunch of superstar athletes together on the same team does not guarantee success.  See the 2002 U.S. FIBA World Championship team, the 2004 U.S. Olympic team including both Lebron and Wade, and the current Los Angeles Lakers.  It takes great managers of people, or as Stephen A. Smith calls it "leaders of men", to get everyone on the same page to accomplish one goal; winning the Championship.  I believe when it is all said and done, Erick Spolestra will go down as one of the greatest coaches in NBA history.  You can laugh at me now, but come back and read this line 10 years from now; "I told you so."