Heisley: West ‘Seriously Considering’

Memphis Grizzly owner Michael Heisley and Jerry West spoke Wednesday morning for three hours about the possibility of West assuming command of basketball operations for that franchise, sources with knowledge of the negotiations said.

While insisting he has no deal with West, Heisley told Memphis reporters, “Are we aggressively trying to pursue an arrangement with Jerry? I would say we’ve been fairly aggressive.”

Heisley spoke in response to a report that West had agreed to a multiyear arrangement with the Grizzlies.

“The speculation scares me because I’m not sure how Jerry will look at it,” Heisley said. “We do not have an agreement.

“Jerry is seriously considering the situation and when he’s ready to make his announcement, he will make his announcement. I’m not the person that’s making that decision.”

West has been affiliated with the Lakers for more than four decades as a player, coach, executive and consultant, in recent years forming strong bonds with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal, both acquired in the same summer nearly six years ago.

Asked his reaction were West to leave the organization, Bryant paused and said, “It means I’ll be going to Memphis.”

He smiled.

“No, just playing,” he said. “Whatever makes him happy. It [would be] a new era. Mitch [Kupchak, the general manager] has done an excellent job. Jerry has trained him well.”

During some of the most trying times of his career, Bryant has been able to call West, or knock on the door of West’s Bel-Air home, seeking advice.

“It’s been that way since I was 17, when I first came out to L.A.,” Bryant said. “I’m sure that’s not going to change.”

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O’Neal has been a lighter personality in the last week, perhaps because he has left behind the drudgery of the regular season.

When Coach Phil Jackson was asked if O’Neal was happier because his toe felt better or because the playoffs simply brought a better mood for all, he ignored the question, made up his own question and, grinning, answered it this way:

“I think all players enjoy the playoffs. There’s some weight in it because we have to come in and do 30 minutes of press every time, and you guys make us sit through the whole time period. During the regular season it’s only five minutes or something, and then you excuse us. And we have to let you in for 30 minutes of practice. So, we spend so much time--probably more time than you guys spend with your families, you spend with us--during the course of the playoffs. A person can’t even have a pimple without it being exposed.”

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The Lakers lost a tiebreaker with the San Antonio Spurs and will choose 27th in the first round of the NBA draft, the league announced Wednesday. The Spurs, who will pick 26th, and the Lakers finished the regular season with records of 58-24.