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This season Phil Jackson has exchanged insults with Dallas Maverick owner
Mark Cuban and has been referred to as "one of the great complainers of
all
time" by Miami Heat Coach Pat Riley.
Next up? General Manager-Coach Bernie Bickerstaff of the Charlotte
Bobcats.
Bickerstaff took exception to Jackson's comments regarding the Bobcats'
waiving of Kareem Rush and criticized Jackson's assertion that the move
was
"vindictive" because it was done with so few games left in the season.
"Phil has that ability [to judge]," Bickerstaff sarcastically told the
Charlotte Observer. "He was in our locker room . at our games."
Bickerstaff also mentioned the tell-all book written by Jackson in 2004,
in
which numerous locker-room conversations were revealed and Kobe Bryant was
labeled uncoachable at times.
"He probably forgets he wrote a book for profit," Bickerstaff said. "So he
has a lot of credibility."
The Bobcats waived Rush on Saturday, with a statement from Bickerstaff
saying, "The Bobcats are about two things - hard work and maximum effort.
With that in mind, we think that it is best to go in a different direction
with Kareem."
Jackson questioned the timing of the decision.
"There's, what, eight games left in the season?" he said Sunday. "You
could
do that probably April 30, or whenever the season's over if you put him on
the inactive list."


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