This Escape Would Be a Slick One

Steve Lavin isn’t resigning. But he appears resigned to the inevitability that he won’t be UCLA’s basketball coach next season.

At his weekly news conference Tuesday he denied multiple reports that he was considering a midseason bailout. But whenever the last game comes, be it in the Pacific 10 tournament or the NCAAs, the decision won’t be in his hands anymore.

He saw what happened to Bob Toledo, who got whacked after a winning football season. Even a barnyard animal can figure out what’s happening when his buddies keep disappearing.

Lavin’s a slick fox, but he’s cornered right now. There’s too much drama and there are too few fans at Pauley Pavilion for this to continue.

He joked that Monday’s report in the Times was so thorough it almost convinced him he should resign, but in general his answers seemed a little less creative and a lot more cliche-ridden than usual.

He talked about coaches’ legacies, mentioned that “history’s going to look kindly on Jim Harrick” and his time at UCLA. It made you wonder if Lavin was hinting that people will appreciate him more when he’s gone too.

He talked about the pressure to be faced by UCLA coaches to come, and it was interesting what he had to say when asked if the constant speculation about his future hurts recruiting. His words almost sounded like a message to potential recruits.

“UCLA’s so special, regardless of the head coach,” he said. “It’s such a powerful package. Regardless of who’s the head coach, UCLA basketball is in great shape.”

But first he wanted to make it clear he isn’t going anywhere just yet.

“At no point have I considered resigning,” Lavin said. “At no point will I consider resigning.”

He disputed reports that he turned introspective and plunged the depths of his soul after losing to St. John’s on Saturday. Instead, he described what sounded like an ideal weekend: eating sandwiches while watching the NFL playoffs and college basketball games, and going to see the movie “Chicago” with his girlfriend.

That doesn’t sound like someone who’s despondent, but it also didn’t fit the description of someone who’s consumed with saving his job.

So why would those reports come out now, appearing in multiple places, with multiple sources? Perhaps it was an attempt to gauge the climate. Would he appear more noble were he to walk away and spare Athletic Director Dan Guerrero the task of picking up the phone to call him? Would Bruin fans thank him for relieving them of their agony? Would the players be off the hook for this season?

No one I talked to -- and surely no one Lavin talked to -- thought resigning would be the right move.

Lavin must have talked to somebody, because those somebodies were very chatty with reporters.

“I don’t know who these friends and confidants are or where they’re hiding out,” Lavin said.

He rattled off a long list of people whom he considers among his inner circle, and said many of them had contacted him to see if the reports were true.

I spoke to one of the people Lavin named.

He hasn’t spoken to Lavin during these last few crazy days, but he has noticed a difference.

“It’s the first time he’s ever shown that the pressure’s getting to him,” the insider said. “In the past, he never revealed that.

“In the past, he’s always been able to overcome these difficulties. It’s uncharacteristic of him to act the way he is right now.”

In reality, the chances of Lavin resigning were slim. There were about one million reasons for him to stay, those reasons being his buyout. If he resigned, he’d be negotiating from a position of weakness.

At 38, he also has to think about his next job.

“His record is not a negative one,” the insider said. “There are a lot of mid-major and low-major schools that would love to be able to say they hired a former head coach at UCLA.”

They wouldn’t be as eager to announce they had hired someone who quit at UCLA.

For Lavin to even contemplate leaving means he doesn’t believe this group has another Sweet 16 run in it. He wouldn’t bad-mouth the team, but it was pretty clear from the first day of practice that he knew this team wasn’t going places.

It’s also evident that Guerrero doesn’t want to be in this position.

Normally Guerrero graciously greets every reporter who comes his way. He wasn’t his usual super-friendly self Tuesday. He seemed as if he didn’t want to be there, dealing with this stuff. And he knows this might become routine as long as Lavin is around.

Guerrero, who played baseball at UCLA, likened Lavin’s situation to a pitcher who is struggling to throw strikes.

“In order to deal with that, sometimes you bring in a reliever and sometimes you have the pitcher work through it,” Guerrero said. “We’ll see what we do at the end of the year.”

It sounds as if he’s ready to leave the dugout and signal toward the bullpen. And Lavin knows he has to hand over the ball.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com.