Will Kobe Bryant-Phil Jackson ’Partnership’ Lead L.A. Lakers to NBA Title?

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Phil Jackson is supporting Kobe Bryant for MVP:

But Lakers Coach Phil Jackson stated the platform for Bryant as MVP. "He’s playing a more rounded game than perhaps the end of the last two seasons, just measuring what the team needs and how to get it done including his teammates," Jackson said.

My AM Take: Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant are tight. Over the summer, the two stuck together when the Lakers regressed into daytime television, complete with unnecessary drama and dysfunction.

But Zen and Mamba haven’t always been Amos and Andrew or Starsky and Hutch.

For years, Jackson and Bryant feuded over, well, everything. The coach often used the media to accuse his young star of being selfish. The young star often retaliated through the media, accusing his coach and center (Shaquille O’Neal) of holding him back from reaching individual greatness.

They were the classic example of when master-student relationships go bad. Juicy best-selling books were written and some claimed Bryant orchestrated Jackson’s firing in 2004.

Times have changed. Last spring, Jackson played Dr. Phil, talking Bryant through his infamous meltdown on Stephen A. Smith’s radio show. This summer, the coach publicly supported his star even though #24 was at odds with Lakers’ management/ownership.

In the fall, when it became obvious L.A. wasn’t trading Bryant, Jackson signed a two year extension timed to expire when his star’s contract runs out in 2010. So the high-profile sideline boss and franchise guy have hitched their wagon to each other.

Now Jackson is lobbying for Bryant to win MVP based on his less-is-more, facilitate for others season. Fair enough. Kobe Bean is doing a great job deferring to his talented supporting cast and then picking the right moment to take over. See Sunday’s game against Dallas and yesterday’s outing versus Sacramento.

Bryant winning MVP is one thing. But Laker-nation hopes Jackson and Bryant’s newfound closeness results in the two celebrating their fourth NBA Title come June.

What do you of Jackson supporting Bryant for MVP? Get at us in the comment box below with your thoughts. The AM Take is Oly’s morning thoughts on the NBA appearing Sunday through Friday on HoopsVibe NBA Blog. Errors can be attributed to the time and his need for another coffee.

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