LA Lakers
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
GM Mitch Kupchak will consider this offseason a huge success, and many will consider the Lakers not only playoff certainties but also Finals contenders, with just one move: the re-acquisition of Phil Jackson. Kupchak says he's at the top of the list and has expressed at least some interest in coaching this new group.
A week ago, in a 45-minute sit down, Jackson apparently told Kupchak that he "likes the group" of players currently wearing purple and gold, according to The Orange County Register. At the end of the day, what's not to like? Jackson would coach a player who is still one of the best players in the world, and he would be surrounded by two more stellar wing players in Caron Butler and Lamar Odom.
He doesn't have a dominant big man but Jackson has won more championships relying on a wing player than he has on a center. He may have won the most championships of any coach without having a dominant big man in the middle. Of course he had Michael Jordan. And of course Jordan had never won a championship before Jackson came aboard.
Now he can have Bryant. Again. Is getting the credit, plus, of course, the money, enough to entice Jackson to return as the prodigal coach?
NEXT GAME
The LA Lakers finished the regular season with a 34-48 record, tied for fourth-worst in the Pacific.
TEAM NOTES
Laker Girl Auditions: Auditions for the 2005-06 Laker Girls will be held on Saturday, July 23, 2005. Click here for more information.
Join the Lakers in Hawaii!: The Lakers open next season with pre-season games in Honolulu and Pleasant Holidays and the Hilton Hawaiian Village have put together an exclusive Lakers travel package.
INJURY UPDATE
Season complete.
Kevin Ding ofThe Orange County Registerwrites: To hear Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak tell it Thursday, the day after the Lakers ended a humbling 34-48 season with a 2-19 closing collapse, the person you're thinking of whose resume best fits that profile is the same person he is thinking of ... again. Of the Lakers' impending coaching search and Phil Jackson, Kupchak said: "Certainly, he's at the top of the list."
Mike Bresnahan ofThe LA Timeswrites: Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak tried to put an 82-game season behind him Thursday, casting an eye to what lies ahead and mentioning Phil Jackson as a feasible coaching candidate to separate the Lakers from their deep-seated troubles. As the players descended on team headquarters in El Segundo for one of the last times this season — lockers had to be cleaned and exit meetings had to be conducted — Kupchak said the former Laker coach was a "viable candidate."
Broderick Turner ofThe Riverside Press-Enterprisewrites: Kupchak was asked if the Lakers would seek Bryant's opinion before hiring Jackson. "We won't ask Kobe who he likes and who he doesn't like," Kupchak said. "We didn't do it last year."Kupchak was asked what he thinks about Jackson after meeting recently with the former Lakers coach. "I think he wants to coach," Kupchak said. "I think he's intrigued with the idea. I'm not sure he's challenged physically and mentally enough, or rejuiced or reenergized at this time. Maybe that's something that will change in a couple of weeks or a month. I'm not quite sure, but I don't think his coaching days are over. "I think he sees himself as a coach. So I don't think his days are over. Yet today, if you talked to Phil and said: 'Phil, are you ready to coach today?' I'm not quite sure what he would say."