Jordan Not Planning a Comeback

Well, he had to ask.

Phil Jackson said Thursday that he contacted Michael Jordan in September to see if Jordan had any desire to return to the NBA, and that Jordan, potentially the world’s most attractive free agent, answered in the negative.

The Laker coach said he did not ask Jordan specifically if he wanted to sign with the Lakers.

“I actually asked Michael if indeed he was finished playing, if he felt any part of him that wanted to play basketball,” Jackson said. “And he said no.

“He said it’s been determined more or less by the cut in his hand. He said, if I wanted to play, I couldn’t bring it back at that level.”

Jordan, who won six championships under Jackson with the Chicago Bulls, sliced a tendon on his right hand a few weeks before announcing his retirement last January, and has given no indication that he was contemplating a comeback.

But Jackson said he heard from former Bull Trent Tucker that Jordan had been playing some basketball recently at a summer camp.

“[Tucker] said he played a lot of ball there, played every day, was enjoying it,” Jackson said.

Did Jackson get a sense that perhaps he might get a different answer from Jordan in the future? “No.”

Jackson added that Jordan does have plans to hang around with the Lakers, who also have added his good friend and former teammate Ron Harper.

“He already said he’d be on the floor at some time, messing around,” Jackson said.

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In a move that surprised several players, Jackson released center Benoit Benjamin before the morning shoot-around at L.A. Southwest College. The much-traveled Benjamin was considered a main contender to be Shaquille O’Neal’s backup.

O’Neal, as a tribute, wore a cap that read “WHY BIG BEN” to the Pond before the Lakers’ game against Utah, and wrote “BIG BEN” on his game shoes, but would not comment about Benjamin’s release before the game.

“Everybody likes Benoit,” said Jackson, adding that he did not mind O’Neal’s tribute. “He’s a good guy.”

Releasing Benjamin--which was coupled with the release of forward Stephen Howard--means John Salley is currently the Lakers’ backup center.

“We needed some people with speed reaction to the ball, recovery of basketball, rebounding and so forth,” Jackson said. “Benoit didn’t give what we were looking for in that direction.

“He was a steady backup player to Shaquille in practice. . . . He’ll find a job somewhere else. But for our purposes right now, this isn’t what we need.”

Jackson said, as long as O’Neal stays healthy, the Laker backup center won’t be a major factor because the coach is looking for O’Neal to play 40 minutes a game.

But the Lakers, who await the return of Travis Knight from a sprained ankle, still are searching for a big player who can play power forward and center, Jackson said.

Salley said he wasn’t surprised that he had earned the main backup role.

“I came here for one reason, to be on the squad, back up the big fella,” Salley said. “I worked real hard to get here, the hard work paid off.”

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The Lakers got almost nothing from their forwards in their final exhibition tuneup before the start of the regular season, matched against the same team they will open up against Tuesday.

The Lakers, 3-5 in the exhibition season, were picked apart by the Utah Jazz, 92-76, at the Arrowhead Pond.

Afterward, a clearly irritated Jackson blasted the effort displayed, especially in a fourth quarter dominated by Jazz fastbreaks.

“I thought we just quit hustling entirely,” Jackson said. “And I think some of the guys are embarrassed by their lack of hustle. And we’re embarrassed by it.”

O’Neal scored 31 points on 13-for-17 shooting, but Glen Rice made none of his 10 field-goal attempts, Robert Horry was 0 for 2, Rick Fox was one for six and A.C. Green was one for three.

How does Jackson view his much-analyzed power-forward situation?

“I can’t see how we can get any worse,” he said.