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Maybe he's going wherever LeBron goes.
It hit Lakers vice president Jeanie Buss like a load of bricks Tuesday night as she rode to Staples Center for Game 5 of Los Angeles' first-round playoff series against the Oklahoma City Thunder with Phil Jackson, her longtime boyfriend and the Lakers' head coach.
With the teams tied 2-2 in this best-of-7 series at the time and Jackson in the final year of his contract, this could have been the last time they rode to a Lakers home game together.
She doesn't, however, believe it will be the last time she rides with him to a game he'll be coaching. "I know Phil will be coaching next year, somewhere. Whether it's here or someplace else I don't know," Buss said.
"There's going to be a lot of good jobs that come up this summer."
Buss wouldn't elaborate on which jobs might interest Jackson if he doesn't extend his career with the Lakers. But she was emphatic that the choices aren't limited to Jackson returning to the Lakers or retiring.
"I know that he can't just retire," she said. "I'm like, 'Honey, what are you going to do? Are you going to help your kids go change diapers and stuff?'
Jackson has yet to give a concrete answer on what his future with the Lakers holds, except to say that how the team finishes this season largely will be the determining factor.
Lakers owner Jerry Buss, Jeanie Buss' father, and general manager Mitch Kupchak both have publicly expressed a desire for the 64-year-old Hall of Fame coach to return. At issue, though, is whether he'd be paid $12 million a season again, if Jackson's health will hold up, and whether he would want to coach the Lakers if they fail to repeat as champions this year.
"I think if they win, it's like a no-brainer he'll come back because he'll want to win three in a row," Jeanie Buss said. "But [if they don't win], if there isn't that connection, he would understand.
"Plus, my dad has made it very clear he doesn't want to pay him what he's been paying him. So that's kind of hard, too. You could kind of say, in some jobs, well, I'm cutting back your hours. But can you see him cutting back his hours?
"It's not really about the amount of money, it's about, 'I can't give you less effort.' " In March, Jackson told reporters he wasn't leaning one way or another, but that winning a le was virtually the only way to ensure he'd return.
"Yeah. If we win it's almost imperative to give it another shot, but there are a lot of ifs in there. Winning is a really big if," Jackson said. "There are four playoffs you have to get through before you can say that we won and we have a chance to do something special and unique again.
"I think how we make it through the year has a lot to do with it. ... Dr. Buss said that he put some things on the line by re-signing Lamar [Odom], so it's financial. This team has never lost money since he took over the team so that's a big part of it. I pushed him to sign Lamar and we all said we have to have this guy back even if it's going to put this team in jeopardy financially. At a time when it's tough in this league, he took the step."
Ramona Shelburne is a reporter and columnist for ESPNLosAngeles.com
http://sports.espn.go.com/los-angele...ory?id=5146034
Maybe he's going wherever LeBron goes.
Or anywhere Kobe's not.
Phil Jackson has always went where the $$$$$$$ is and he's smart enough to realize who are the best players in the league.
You can hate the LA franchise all you want but one thing that they do well is overpay their star employees. Buss is going to match whatever offer Jackson gets and then some.
Unless the chemistry has gone to complete .
Hey, Kobe didn't have to grant him another chance in the NBA. It was very gracious of Bryant to allow Phil back.
jeanie must be mad at her dad
???It hit Lakers vice president Jeanie Buss like a load of bricks Tuesday night
she's probably upset he's leaving the team to that re son of hisjeanie must be mad at her dad
I really don't see Phil going anywhere else. He is comfortable in LA. He has ties with the Buss family and is making damn good money. If he leaves, it'll be retirement.
Knowing Phil, of course he'd try to ride the next superstar to more rings and pretend he has "Zen" lol
no NBA coach is worth 12 million in a player's league
That's what I was going to say.
Then that leaves Phil with 2 choices: asian chicks and black chicks
phil will go with lebron...then two things will be said over and over:
1) Phil is lucky and only gets rings with the best players in the league
2) lebron can only win with Phil Jackson.
son that would make sense considering the games best players have been the only reason he gets the hype and championships he has. must be nice to have a daily coaching plan of ... "just pass the ball to Jordan or Shaq and get out of the way"
Just PJ telling the players if you want me back put out the effort to win.
Non Issue
Yep, yep.
Cobb, with the goods.
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