Back as far as the Bulls' dynasty of the '90s, and continuing to the current edition of the Lakers, I've never been a true believer in Phil Jackson's coaching abilities. The duties of any coach with Michael Jordan, or Shaq and Kobe, pretty much consist of cuing up the VCR to show game footage, then rolling the ball out on the court at gametime. I always said that Phil Jackson should take the "Vancouver test"; that is, see how he does coaching a team that isn't prefabricated to win a title.

Phil still hasn't taken me up on the challenge; he's too busy "coaching" the overloaded Lakers in the playoffs. But his former GM Jerry West now has taken the Vancouver test, which is of course now renamed the Memphis test. It's a pretty neat challenge for the NBA legend. The Grizzlies have a couple bona fide young superstars but not much else. If West can help develop them and surround them with good role players, it will be fun to see how they develop. By then, no doubt, Phil will have swooped in to coach Eddie LeBaron and the rest of the 2007 Knicks.