Phil Jackson’s Meet and Greet

On Friday (September 25), Lakers’ Coach Phil Jackson had a meet and greet with the press. Jackson’s talks with the media came before Tuesday’s official Media Day, and the Los Angeles Times reported on what he had to say. Jackson addressed the issue of the possibility of international players’ (like Pau Gasol, Sasha Vujacic and Pau Gasol) getting burnt out prior to the Lakers’ season saying, “My concern is not to overdo it. Jackson also joked about sending Gasol a text cautioning the Spaniard not to “expect to be coddled when he comes in” (Gasol was granted two weeks off to treat his injury).

While Doc Buss and Jackson have yet to officially discuss an extension of his career, Jackson said he didn’t want to be viewed as a “lame duck” coach in the meet and greet and also discussed bringing Ron Artest into the Lakers’ fold. Said Jackson of Artest, “He’ll have an important role.” Jackson did address Artest’s tendency to post clips of himself on YouTube and Tweet frequently, as well as Lamar Odom’s marriage to Khloe Kardashian over the weekend saying, “There’s a certain amount of privacy that we’ll have to demand from them, so that our business doesn’t become street business. These guys are professionals. They’ll understand that.”

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