Sorry, Phil, no More Triangle...

One of the most iconic names is now one of the most ridiculed. Yep, that's right Phil Jackson, I'm talking about you! To be clear, being from San Clemente, California, I grew up a Lakers fan and will die a Lakers fan. But who Phil is now is not the Phil who won 10 NBA Championships with two different teams. He had Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaq, making him the best coach of all-time. Now he has Carmelo and Porzingis, and can't win back to back games. Although, I'm still questioning how the Knicks beat the Spurs...My point this week: we have to keep going. What we were describes us; it doesn't define us. 

I know I need to change. I said so in my post last week. But change is not the same as improvement. It's not wrong to be comfortable in our own skin. But it is wrong to not improve. Phil won 10 titles, but now he can't run a should-be a playoff team. After all, look at Lane Kiffin. From the Oakland Raiders to the FAU Owls, he couldn't ride his past forever. Not to mention his past kind of sucks. Being a USC fan, he showed his colors versus ASU a few years ago. His bubble screens define him, but that doesn't mean he needs to abandon it because it's too predictable now. He and Phil have something in common: you can ride the same system, but you have to adapt it for different circumstances. You can succeed with the same strategy, but you must adapt to local circumstances.

Now adapt this to our lives. There is nothing wrong with who we want to become or how we want to change. Certain things about us will never change, and if they're good practices, they shouldn't change. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't strive to change. I've been lucky the past few weeks. I always saw change as passive, but now I realize that it is anything but. Remember how people say music and movies influence you? Yeah, I never bought into that. I like explicit music and I'm fine with rated R movies, to an extent. You change depending on the environment you put yourself in. Seeing what I've seen with my life and with Phil, I fully believe it! Don't be afraid to maintain who you are, but one size doesn't fit all. Carmelo does not play the Triangle offense.