Jackson’s Return Is Still Uncertain

On a day the Clippers fired their coach, the main news at the Laker training facility in El Segundo was Coach Phil Jackson’s physical condition.

Jackson attended Monday’s three-hour practice, then left immediately afterward for a doctor’s appointment. He did not talk with the media.

After Jackson had seen Dr. Lawrence Paletz, who a week earlier had performed a sound-waves treatment for kidney stones, team spokesman John Black had good and bad news to report.

“The good news is that the X-rays showed the treatment was successful and the stones have broken up,” Black said. “The bad news is that some fragments remain, causing some pain and discomfort.”

Black said Jackson probably won’t decide until sometime Wednesday if he will return to the bench for the Lakers’ game that night against Indiana at Staples Center.

Jackson has missed three games -- two wins and a loss to Seattle.

At practice, he let everyone know he wasn’t pleased with the performance in the Lakers’ 107-90 loss to the SuperSonics Friday night.

“He said we have to get back to basics because our fundamentals were bad,” forward Robert Horry said.

Assistant coach Jim Cleamons, who filled in for Jackson the last three games, said, “We got reprimanded.”

When asked if he meant the players or the coaching staff, Cleamons said, “When I say ‘we,’ we’re all in this thing together.”

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Kobe Bryant, who rested over the weekend, said he could have used another day off. “My brake pads in my knees are still pretty low,” he said.

He said he has also been battling flu.

“I’m just recovering,” he said. “I didn’t feel well the last game. I’m just getting healthy.”

As for Shaquille O’Neal complaining about getting only 13 shots against Seattle, Bryant downplayed it and said O’Neal was not upset with his teammates.

“I think he feels he’s getting healthy right now and wants the ball inside,” he said. “That’s our game plan every game, to pound the ball into him.”

As for Monday’s firing of Alvin Gentry by the Clippers, Bryant said: “He was in a tough situation. He didn’t have all his guys healthy. It’s tough to make a young team -- particularly a young team -- jell when nobody’s on the floor.”

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O’Neal missed Monday’s practice to have some dental work.... Samaki Walker, who sprained an ankle against Utah Feb. 19, tweaked it in practice Monday and his status is day-to-day. That probably means more playing time for Mark Madsen on Wednesday.... The NBA announced that Minnesota’s Kevin Garnett was the player of the month for February. Bryant scored 40 or more points in nine consecutive games during the month and became the first player since Elgin Baylor and Wilt Chamberlain to average more than 40 points for an entire month.