Starting tonight, on TNT, we the viewers will get to hear coaches rant and rave in the locker room before and during games. Coaches will also be asked to wear tiny microphones throughout the games. It’s a great and innovative idea, and predictably, NBA coaches hate it.
When reporters asked Phil Jackson what he thinks of the locker room intrusion, he acted like he was a young George Orwell just fleshing out some ideas for 1984.
“I’m going to stick my foot right in it, too,” Jackson said. “I wasn’t at the league meetings with the coaches this year, and I’m very disappointed in my comrades for rolling over on this so easily.”
“It’s going to be real hard on us coaches,” he said. “We do things in private. It’s an inner sanctum. For people to be in the inner sanctum, where emotions are high … it’s big brother, it’s very big brother. It’s very intimidating.”
Wah, wah, wah!
Listen, I enjoy Phil’s personality as much as anyone and think he’s brilliant, but this is ridiculous. What, is he going to be discussing top-secret nuclear weaponry before segueing into a lesson on how to properly defend the high pick-and-roll?
Take it easy, Phil. TNT producers are too smart to air anything particularly damaging to the coaches or the League.
