Phil Jackson to Toronto?

[sparrowtrini]

Phil Jackson reportedly could receive an offer from the Toronto Raptors to run their team.

i was actually dreaming about this when they named Tim Leiweke to run Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment

interesting read. my question is would he be successful in this role? Im thinking more along the lines of a guy who might be able to attract players to Toronto or keep young stars here.
It probably won't happen but.....

Phil Jackson is looking for a booming front office voice
The news barely skimmed NBA circles early on Friday, because the hiring of former Anschutz Entertainment Group President and CEO Tim Leiweke to run Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment seemed to only count towards NHL matters. MLSE owns the Toronto Raptors, to be sure, but for a while there the team appeared pretty ensconced moving forward after allowing current president Bryan Colangelo to swing for a massive deal for forward Rudy Gay in February.
Now there are whispers that are whispering back at the whispers that could place Phil Jackson in Colangelo’s chair, taking control of a team that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2008. ESPN’s Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne came through with the report on Friday:
Sources told ESPN.com this week that the Raptors have interest in talking with Jackson about the Pat Riley-style role he craves in charge of a team's basketball operations. ESPN.com reported last week that Jackson, after nearly two seasons in retirement, is "itching" to return to the NBA next season, but preferably in a role similar to Riley's in Miami that allows him to oversee both the basketball department and the coaching staff, or perhaps as a high-level consultant like Jerry West in Golden State.
Leiweke is a major player the sports industry and Jackson is all-too-familiar with his work in Los Angeles, where he helped get the Staples Center built for the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, as well as the Kings of the NHL. Leiweke also has a longstanding, productive relationship with Jackson's fiance, Lakers executive Jeanie Buss.
It is understood that Colangelo will have to make a presentation to the Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment board that owns the Raptors in coming days in hopes of getting his option picked up. Colangelo was adamant Monday that Casey will stay on as coach if he stays, while MLSE chief operating officer Tim Anselmi told the National Post's Bruce Arthur that the Colangelo decision would be made "with patience."
Colangelo has been a disappointment as a Raptors executive. He inherited star forward Chris Bosh upon taking the job in 2005, but proceeded to whiff on both choosing Andrea Bargnani first overall in the 2006 draft (not the most damning move, as several executives would have done the same), and more importantly re-signing Bargnani to a terrible contract that no other suitor was offering a few months later.
The former Suns general manager then went on to compound that mistake by adding several middling and similar talents on the wing, leading up to the trade for Gay that will saddle the Raptors with a roster that will sidle up to the luxury tax in 2013-14 even if the team decides to use the amnesty clause and waive forward Linas Kleiza this summer. The Raptors went 17-18 with Gay in the lineup following the deal, which sent promising forward Ed Davis and guard Jose Calderon’s expiring contract away, while the Memphis Grizzlies (Gay’s former team) finished the season on a 27-11 tear.
Jackson, as we talked about last week, would hardly be counted on to stay up all night going over game tape. It’s more than likely he’s far from capable when it comes to understanding the ins and outs of the NBA’s newest Collective Bargaining Agreement (which was put in place six months after Jackson and the Los Angeles Lakers parted ways in 2011), and he’s shown an aversion to the sorts of advanced statistics that have helped other teams get out of the salted crops their predecessors left them.
If Leiweke did hit a home run and successful court Jackson, though, Phil wouldn’t need many trips to NBA.com’s stat tool to recognize that Colangelo has stacked the roster with middling, overpaid and inefficient players who don’t contribute much defensively.
As Stein and Shelburne noted, though, this is all in the long shot phase, currently. If the NBA does allow for the Sacramento Kings to relocate to Seattle, Jackson would be at the top of the new ownership’s list of candidates for overall front office el jefe. The Brooklyn Nets would no doubt love to make a splash and gauge Jackson’s interest in coaching again with a potential eight-figure offer, and even though the Los Angeles Lakers are still paying two coaches in Mike Brown and Mike D’Antoni, and Jackson’s relationship with front office boss Jim Buss is reportedly strained … there’s still a chance. There are no second acts in American life, but Los Angeles doesn’t usually count in that regard.
Would Jackson take to Canadian life? That aspect wouldn’t seem to factor much into things, though pointing out that Jackson spends most of his time in his offseason home in Montana would be missing the point. Toronto is one of the world’s more active, bustling cities; and though the metropolis is slick and streamlined, in a way that could work against the mellow mood of the Malibu and Montana-dwelling Jackson.
It’s an interesting rumor. Whatever decision Leiweke goes with, though, understand that either the current or former person in charge of the Toronto Raptors roster is in for tough, tough gig.

[metaldude26]

Not a chance in hell.

[hockeyrobot]

yeah I second that. Just a rumour today because of the hiring. All that was said was the Raps would take a shot at him....and maybe it's more likely he listens because of Leiweke, doesn't mean he'll come this way.

[bigbabybuda]

Stranger things have happend and I would love to see it but I seriously doubt it.

[sparrowtrini]

Stranger things have happend

Thats the key here. And certainly i believe if anyone can do it it would be Leiweke. Certainly doesn't hurt to try.....

Heres the latest:

REPORT: RAPTORS RAMP UP EFFORTS TO HIRE JACKSON AS PRESIDENT

With the news on Monday that the Sacramento Kings won't be moving to Seattle, ESPN.com reports that the Toronto Raptors have stepped up their efforts to try to hire Phil Jackson as their new team president.
According to ESPN's sources, the Raptors - now run by new president and CEO of MLSE Tim Leiweke - regarded the Seattle group that was trying to buy the Kings as the biggest obstacle stopping them from courting Jackson's services.
ESPN.com adds that the Raptors will be pursuing Jackson aggressively this week, hoping Jackson can reunite with Leiweke - a former Los Angeles-based sports mogul.
Leiweke was named the top executive of the Toronto-based sports conglomerate on Friday, and made it clear what the immediate focus of his administration will be.
"I don't think it's any secret the emerging question and the first action is going to be the Raptors," said Leiweke on a conference call from Los Angeles. "I wish I had more time. I wish I was (in Toronto) to make this decision. At the same time, we'll do our homework and I'll try to get up to speed as quickly as I can.
"I don't think anyone's happy with the Raptors being out of the playoffs as long as they have. We're going to be very focused on that first and foremost and how to fix it."
ESPN also reports that current Raptors president Bryan Colangelo is scheduled to meet with the MLSE board next week in an effort to convince them to pick up the option year on his contract.
Jackson, 67, has won 11 NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers as head coach.
In an interview last week with the San Francisco Chronicle, Jackson said "three or four teams" have already expressed interest and that "none of it involves coaching."