Phil Jackson is out as the general manager of the New York Knickerbockers, according to an ESPN report, and we again are reminded that just because you’re a plumber doesn’t mean you can be a carpenter. Just because you can fly airplanes doesn’t mean you can ride a horse. Just because you can paint portraits doesn’t mean you can paint a house.
Running a basketball organization and coaching a basketball team are two distinct and separate jobs, and outside of the round ball and the nylon net, there aren’t a lot of similarities.
Yet NBA history is full of examples of owners handing over their franchises – for decisions on money and businesses and talent-evaluations – to coaches whose primary job has been getting 15 guys to play hard and work together with a common gameplan.