Oklahoma City Thunder Should Pursue Phil Jackson If They Lose ... - Bleacher Report

Ever since Phil Jackson ceased coaching the Los Angeles Lakers, fans and media have been wondering where the 11-time NBA champion's next gig will be. From the comments Jackson has made as of late, it's clear that a comeback is in the realm of possibilities.

One has to wonder whether the Oklahoma City Thunder will want to pursue him, especially if they don't win the title this year. Having Jackson with that roster almost assures a dynasty in Oklahoma City.

Recently, Jackson spoke with HBO's Real Sports and it became clear that he had no intention or desire to coach the New York Knicks.

He said that their roster was "clumsy" and Carmelo Anthony didn't share the ball. 

It didn't just stop there, though. 

He said Orlando was also a place he wouldn't consider because of the distance to his residence in Montana.

So the question becomes where would Jackson want to coach?

Although he has not specifically named any teams, it's always fun to speculate.

These two comments give us a plethora of information about Jackson, and by using that knowledge, it's clear that he wants to be close to home and to be with a talented and workable group of guys.

Jackson doesn't want to coach alpha males anymore. He's past that stage. He doesn't want to deal with selfish egos. He wants a group of young players who work hard and listen. 

Everyone on the Thunder roster exemplifies those characteristics, from Russell Westbrook to Serge Ibaka. They are a collection of hard-working individuals who care more about winning than anything else. They're going to embrace Jackson's wisdom and use it to their advantage to grow as players.

Plus, Jackson is such an old-school guy that perhaps he'll finally force Westbrook and Kevin Durant to stop wearing those loud and over-the-top outfits.

More importantly though, with 11 rings under his belt, Jackson probably doesn't want to go to a rebuilding team. He'd much rather be placed in a situation where he can win multiple titles. He looks at the teams all around the league and sees that the Thunder are the team of the future. They have the stars to win multiple titles and the core of Westbrook and Durant is locked up for the foreseeable future.

Secondly, Jackson will get to stay closer to his Montana home. Oklahoma City is in the Western Conference, so although it's still some distance away from Montana, he's not all the way on the other side of the country.

There's going to be less media pressure on him in Oklahoma City. It's a small and relaxed town and he's not going to be in a microscope like he was in Chicago or Los Angeles, or like he would be in New York. Plus, he'll be embraced by the local fans no matter what happens. He's Phil Jackson after all. They'll view him as the dude that spurned the big city and came to the rural countryside.

In the country, he can focus more on basketball and less on drama. The thought of this should scare the rest of the NBA. 

The only problem right now for Jackson is that the Thunder are three games away from winning a title. If they win, Scott Brooks is coming back as head coach for good. He's a talented young couch with a bright future and a title will earn him the right to stay. Plus, the Thunder like him and will probably want him back long-term even if they lose.

However, if they lose and see that Jackson is available and wants to coach the Thunder, then why wouldn't they bid farewell to Brooks and bring aboard possibly the greatest head coach of all-time?

With Jackson, the Thunder can be elevated to dynasty status. You can only get so far with guys like Eric Spoelstra and Scott Brooks. The guys who have dynasties are Pat Riley, Phil Jackson, Gregg Popovich and Red Auerbach. 

The Thunder have the right attitude and the talent on their roster to become a dynasty and Jackson knows this.

Finally, one has to consider how Derek Fisher plays into all of this. Fisher and Jackson go back a long way and there's no doubt they would love to be reunited. Fisher wouldn't mind serving as a backup and mentor on the Thunder in the last few years of his career and it would just make it extra sweet if he was able to do it again with Phil.

The Zen Master is getting up there in age. He's done with entitled superstars and rebuilding teams. 

He wants to win and win a lot.

The only option available for something like that is with the Thunder but unfortunately for him, there's a huge block with the name of Scott Brooks separating him from the job.