Wizard Offers Friendly Advice

John Wooden says Red Auerbach was misguided when the former Boston Celtic coach suggested recently that Phil Jackson wins only because he has superior talent.

“Of course he had talent,” Wooden told Bloomberg News. “Anyone who wins has talent, but not every coach wins with it.

“What did Auerbach do before he had [Bill] Russell?”

Wooden, 91, hasn’t spoken to Auerbach about his criticism of Jackson, but he’d tell him to stop bashing the Laker coach and acknowledge his accomplishments.

“I’d tell Red that Phil’s done a great job, just as you did,” said Wooden, who guided UCLA to 10 NCAA titles, one more than Auerbach and Jackson each won as coaches in the NBA. “It’s not taking anything away from you at all. You just have to give the other fellow credit.”

Trivia time: What Hall of Fame pitcher spent the most time in the major leagues without playing in a World Series?

Nowhere man: With the NBA draft approaching, Celtic General Manager Chris Wallace says he doesn’t see any potential challengers to Shaquille O’Neal:

“Unless I’m missing someone, that person is not in the Big East. He’s not in the ACC or Big Ten. He doesn’t play in Europe. Maybe he’s in Tibet somewhere, but I haven’t seen him.”

Fast lane: The Laker victory parade “went through downtown L.A. about 4 mph,” says Jay Leno. “This is the only city in the world where the parades actually move faster than the normal traffic.”

Helping hand: Growing up, Michael Vick often wore a replica of Steve Young’s No. 8 jersey because he identified with a left-handed quarterback who was a good runner. Now Vick will get the chance to work out with his boyhood hero.

Atlanta Falcon Coach Dan Reeves says Young, a two-time NFL most valuable player with the San Francisco 49ers, will visit the team’s mini-camp in July to give pointers to Vick, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NFL draft.

“He knew we wanted him, and it was just a matter of him finding the time to come here,” Reeves said.

Double fault: Tatum O’Neal gives a thumbs-down review to former husband John McEnroe’s new memoir, “You’ve Got to Be Kidding.”

“The book is all [garbage],” O’Neal told Britain’s Daily Mail. “It’s not true. He’s a sociopath.”

Teen scene: In a recent online poll conducted by teen marketer Alloy, skateboarder Tony Hawk was voted “coolest big-time athlete,” ahead of Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan and New York Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter.

Trivia answer: Phil Niekro, who flung the knuckleball for 24 seasons.

And finally: Like a lot of people, Dave Kidd of Britain’s Sun tabloid is stunned about who’s gone and who’s still competing in the World Cup:

“[France’s] Zinedine Zidane is mowing the lawn, [Portugal’s] Luis Figo is creosoting his fence and [Argentina’s] Gabriel Batistuta is putting up shelves for the missus.

“Meanwhile, [U.S. players] are licking their lips in anticipation of a World Cup quarterfinal. What a crazy, upside-down tournament this is. And there is nothing crazier than the sight of the Yanks in the last eight.”

Rob Fernas