THE VERBAL commitment of Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson to return to the team makes the defending NBA champion a strong contender in the incoming National Basketball Association (NBA) in October.
According to reports, Jackson made the public announcement after the Lakers management was able to secure the commitment from NBA star Ron Artest that he will leave the Houston Rockets and sign with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Artest who is a coveted player during the off-season due to his defensive and offensive prowess decided to sign with the Lakers in order to win his first ever championship along NBA superstar Kobe Bryant after toiling in the NBA for quite sometime.
The former Rocket is expected to fill in the void left by former Lakers player Trevor Ariza who decided to leave the team and expected to sign with the Rockets due to the limited money offered by his former team to retain his services.
Jackson who is the architect of the four of the 15-championship trophy of the Lakers including the last NBA season is a big boost to the campaign of the team for a repeat as champion in the next professional basketball season.
Nicknamed, as “Zen master “due to his great motivational skills, coaching mind and his vaunted” triangle offense, Jackson, will spearhead the campaign of the team against tough opposition in the premier basketball league in the planet.
Jackson is also known for his use of Tex Winter's triangle offense as well as a holistic approach to coaching that is influenced by Eastern philosophy, earning him the nickname "Zen Master".
The famous coach cites Robert Pirsig's book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance as one of the major guiding forces in his life.
He also applies Native American spiritual practices as documented in his book "Sacred Hoops".
He is the author of several candid books about his teams and his basketball strategies.
Jackson is also a recipient of the state of North Dakota 's Roughrider Award.
Jackson leads the 2007 class of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Jackson regularly attempts to alter his appearance so the media cannot use old photos of him for recent news, and, true to his word, as of September 2008, he was no longer sporting his illustrious mustache (originally black then white with age), which saw 9 NBA titles.
In 1998, as part of celebrations for the National Basketball Association's 50th anniversary, Jackson was named one of the 10 greatest coaches in league history.
The Lakers is set to become the top team in the next NBA season since aside from Jackson and Artest the team will also have its star players back lead by NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Kobe Bryant, Spanish basketball superstar Pau Gasol, veteran point guard and versatile forward Lamar Odom.
The pledge of Jackson to return for the Lakers next NBA season is definitely a huge joy for the team's millions of fans worldwide.
The return of Jackson also makes the incoming NBA season exciting for basketball fans in this planet.
This early join the multitude of hoop fans who will take part in the incoming NBA season by watching the basketball games live.