Tomjanovich contacted by Lakers

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http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/story/204475p-176497c.html

Rudy likely to host Lake Show

Phil's plans uncertain

By FRANK ISOLA DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Kobe Bryant (l.) has opted out of his contract with Lakers to become a free agent, while Shaquille O'Neal doesn't like team's direction and demands trade.

With Phil Jackson officially out of the picture, talks between the Los Angeles Lakers and Jackson's probable successor, Rudy Tomjanovich, have intensified, according to a league source.
No deal is imminent, but the Lakers would like to have a coach in place before Thursday's NBA draft and definitely before the free agent recruiting period begins on July 1.

Several high-profile names have been mentioned as candidates - among them George Karl, Larry Brown, Pat Riley, Magic Johnson, Maurice Cheeks, USC coach Henry Bibby and Lakers assistants Kurt Rambis and Jim Cleamons.

But Tomjanovich, the former Houston Rockets coach, is emerging as the leading candidate to take over a Lakers team that is currently in disarray. Hours after the team informed Jackson that he will not return, Kobe Bryant exercised a clause in his contract that makes him a free agent and Shaquille O'Neal asked the Lakers to trade him.

Bryant is expected to re-sign. while the Lakers have said they will entertain offers for O'Neal, whose $27 million salary for the 2004-05 season makes him difficult to trade.

"The direction they're going in, if they're going to continue to go in the same direction, I don't want to be a part of this," O'Neal told reporters in Los Angeles. "This team, it ain't about me. It ain't about Phil. It's supposed to be about team."

The Lakers believes that Tomjanovich is as good a candidate as any to soothe O'Neal's wounded ego and establish a good working environment for both O'Neal and Bryant. Tomjanovich, who coached the Rockets to back-to-back titles in 1994 and 1995, is regarded as a players' coach and was well-liked by the superstars he coached, namely Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen.

Tomjanovich, 55, stepped down in May 2003 as Rockets coach because the stress of coaching after being diagnosed with bladder cancer could have worsened his health. He now feels strong and ready to return.

The Daily News first reported on Thursday that Tomjanovich was the Lakers' top choice.

Jackson's plans for the future are uncertain. He is one championship shy of surpassing Red Auerbach for the most titles as a head coach and breaking that record is something that appeals to Jackson.

As long as Jackson is a free agent, his name will always been linked to the Knicks, his former team and where he learned to become a coach under his mentor Red Holzman. Jackson talked to the Knicks about replacing Jeff Van Gundy, but those talks died after Van Gundy led the Knicks to the 1999 Finals.

Jackson has said on numerous occasions that he will never be part of a rebuilding situation. Also, the general consensus is that if the Knicks are close to becoming a contender, team president Isiah Thomas would move to the bench.

"I don't think he would step in to a new coaching slot for next season," Jackson's agent Todd Musberger told The Associated Press. "But I guess you can never tell about those things."

Originally published on June 20, 2004