How in the world could the Lakers act in such a dismissive and disrespectful way to Jackson? What was the rush? To wake Jackson up at midnight to tell him “don’t bother” just sounds shabby and slimy as it has been described, and described accurately.
Which brings me to my point. What the Lakers did was entirely legal. They didn’t break any laws or any of the billion NBA rules. But doesn’t common decency dictate an approach that is just, well, just more decent? In today’s world of business, is all fair as long as it is simply legal? How about showing one another some common courtesy?
This doesn’t apply only to Phil Jackson, the one person who has earned a high level of respect. It applies to everyone. If we run our business lives only by what is legal, then we lower ourselves to levels just above wild animals. Animals only survive by doing what’s good for them and have no societal rules of common decency. We humans do, or we are supposed to.
Phil Jackson will be fine. He will always be a legend.
After this, I am not so sure about the Lakers.