Jeanie Buss Doesn’t Know if Phil Jackson Wants to Coach Again

Jeanie Buss, an executive vice president with the Los Angeles Lakers, isn’t quite sure if her companion Phil Jackson would like to get back into coaching or not. From the LA Times: “I can’t answer that question,’ said Buss, a Lakers executive vice president. ‘Only he can. Nobody’s called him. Unless somebody calls, we won’t know how to answer that question.’ That uncertainty also applies to the New York Knicks, who recently fired coach Mike D’Antoni.[…] ‘Don’t even go there,’ Buss said. ‘That’s up to Phil. Whatever he does, he loves the game and he loves the guys that he’s coached. That will never change.’ Buss said Jackson paid particularly close attention to Lakers games, as well as those with some of his former players, including Lamar Odom (Dallas), Trevor Ariza (New Orleans), Luke Walton (Cleveland), Ronny Turiaf (Miami) and, yes, even Vladimir Radmanovic (Atlanta). ‘He’s very positive about the Lakers and he’s very happy with the way they’re playing,’ Buss said before the Lakers played Memphis on Sunday. ‘It’s important to him that for me, things are good. When the Lakers are winning, everything is smooth with business. He thinks they’re playing good defense and likes all the new players. He’s attached to the old ones, but he’s impressed with the talent on this team.'”