Phil Jackson says he wanted Kobe to play more like LeBron

It’s no secret that in his second stint with the Lakers, Phil Jackson pushed hard to keep Kobe Bryant playing within the triangle system. With mixed results, we might add.

Jackson will be featured an HBO Real Sports segment Tuesday night — the same one where he called the Knicks roster “clumsy” — and was asked about how he would use LeBron differently than the Heat and Erik Spoelstra. Here is the transcription, via the Palm Beach Post.

“Oh, they’re– they’re using LeBron every possible way they can. He’s such a great player. I still think his game is gonna grow. I still think it’s gonna grow. But he was like Scottie Pippen was to the Bulls. He’s maybe a pass first and shoot second player. Whereas, you know, Michael or Kobe are like, “I’m gonna shoot this ball.” Every time they get the ball, they’re looking to score. LeBron’s not like that. And I love that about him. But he also, when he goes after scoring, he’s also terrific. You want a player that can do both. I tried to get Kobe to do both for numbers of years, and he could. But his first instinct is to beat the guy that’s in front of him.”

Mike Brown never labored under illusion that he could change Kobe’s game. He just turned the mamba loose and stood back. But you can understand what Phil wants, the happy medium between LeBron and Kobe.

One criticism of the Heat has been that LeBron and Dwyane Wade don’t play well together. Jackson doesn’t see it.

“ They’re doin’ great together. I mean, they really play off each other well. They are doing really well together.”

Jackson said he had not considered coaching those two for the Heat, but added he thought he and Pat Riley and he could get along just fine. Sure, sure they can. When have two guys with huge egos and very different styles not meshed seamlessly?

It’d be a fun experiment to try out just for the laughs, but that’s moot. Not going to happen.