Jackson Still Has Rider Concerns

It appears that Laker Coach Phil Jackson will allow J.R. Rider to play for him again, but he could change his mind.

It also appears that Jackson remains annoyed with Rider, with the situation of Rider’s five-game suspension and with the potential for distraction, particularly as the Lakers near and then enter the postseason.

“The concern I have is if he has a repeat offense, what it does to this ballclub,” Jackson said. “I don’t have confidence. I [also] don’t have any disbelief. I can’t, one way or the other, have a judgment on that. I just have to allow that to happen. I can’t go into it with judgment. But I do have to protect the team from something that could put them in a deficit.”

Rider embarks on an anti-drug program that will include counseling and three drug tests a month for the next three months. The Lakers will not be advised of the results. In the coming weeks, however, Jackson and General Manager Mitch Kupchak will have three decisions to make, assuming Rider makes it that far.

First, whether to have Rider back on March 16, when he is due back from his five-game suspension for non-compliance. It seems he’ll be given that chance.

“He will dress that night,” Jackson said. “I don’t know if he’ll play or not play. That’s something we’ll wait and see what happens that night.”

Second, how much responsibility he will be afforded when he does return. In the two weeks leading to his suspension, Rider was less and less inclined to run the triangle offense, leading to fewer minutes.

“He brings something unique that we don’t have on this team,” Jackson said. “I told him that. If he lives up to his responsibilities and he plays within the realm of what he can do, he can do things for this ballclub that nobody else can do on this team.”

Finally, do the Lakers put Rider on their postseason roster? A suspended player cannot be replaced on the active roster, even between series, meaning another failure to comply by Rider would leave the Lakers short-handed for several series. Rider has five weeks to convince the Lakers he won’t disappoint them again.

And, now that he has joined the after-care program he fought so hard to stay out of, he can be free of it in three months, assuming he shows adequate progress.

“According to the league standards, after three months the slate is wiped clean,” Jackson said. “He has a period of time, I don’t know if he’s got three months remaining in duration to be able to get back to a clean slate. They do have a certain sense of redemption. So he’s got some time, he actually has three months in which he could clean that up until we are into the depths of the playoffs, in June.”

Jackson and Rider met Thursday. Rider described Jackson as angry then, and Jackson hadn’t seemed to cool much by Friday evening.

“He just has to be responsible,” Jackson said. “I let him know his responsibility is to the team and to himself right now.”

Asked if he believed Rider’s story--that he avoided testing because he believed he was being wronged--Jackson said he did. Sort of.

“What am I going to do, tell him he’s lying to me?” Jackson said, adding, “Yes. It was confirmed by the league office.”