Jerry-Built

There’s no escaping Jerry West. Not when his silhouette is on every NBA telecast, jersey and piece of stationery. Especially not when you’re trying to follow in his footsteps.

Even after Mitch Kupchak enjoyed the most fruitful summer in the three years since he replaced West as the Lakers’ main personnel man, he’s still having trouble leaving West behind.

West’s new franchise, the Memphis Grizzlies, made a giant leap into the playoffs this year and currently trails the Lakers by only three games. If the Grizzlies beat the Lakers at Staples Center tonight it will be down to two. If the Grizzlies win out and the Lakers keep losing, the Grizzlies could be at home for the beginning of a first-round series against the Lakers.

The Lakers (53-25) added future Hall of Famers Karl Malone and Gary Payton in July, but so far it has translated into only three more victories than last season. The Grizzlies (50-28) have almost doubled their victory total from last season (28), with such roster additions as Bo Outlaw and Bonzi Wells.

But some would say the most significant transaction in franchise history came on April 30, 2002, the day the Grizzlies named West the president of basketball operations. Although West inherited some decent talent, including 2002 rookie of the year Pau Gasol, no one predicted they would come so far, so quickly. Strange, isn’t it, how winning seems to follow West around?

“First thing that comes to mind is no one should be surprised,” Kupchak said. “That’s not a surprise.

“He retired on his own in Los Angeles. It wasn’t a case where he wasn’t doing his job or couldn’t do his job. He was the best when he chose to retire. He had a chance to recharge the batteries. He picked up where he left off.”

And West doesn’t stay down for long.

What’s his secret formula?

“I can’t say that something jumps out as far as being consistent over the years,” Kupchak said. “We’ve always had really good players in L.A. to build around.”

West had two of the all-time best, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, in hand when he took over as the Lakers’ general manager in 1982. He drafted such players as A.C. Green late in the first round, and brought in key veterans Bob McAdoo, Mychal Thompson

Then the Lakers saw Johnson, Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy retire in the late 1980s and early ‘90s.

“When we did rebuild in L.A., one thing that kind of was a consistent factor was you accumulate talent,” Kupchak said. “You do the best you can to get pieces that fit. Basically, you want to get players. When you get players you’re in a position to make deals because you have talent.”

Because West drafted Nick Van Exel, Eddie Jones and Anthony Peeler, the Lakers bounced back into playoff form

“That’s when Jerry showed his true genius,” Kupchak said. “With those pieces we put together a team that was competitive -- not unlike Memphis.”

West also has had a knack for choosing the right coach for his talent. Del Harris was coach of the year with that young group of Lakers, and Hubie Brown is a top candidate for the award this season because of the job he’s done with the Grizzlies.

The Grizzlies use the versatility of Gasol, the quickness of point guard Jason Williams, the athleticism of Stromile Swift and the three-point shooting of James Posey and Mike Miller.

They force turnovers and score off them. They don’t have any All-Stars, but they don’t beat themselves either.

If the Grizzlies have gone through a transformation, West looks as if he just came from a day spa.

“He looks great,” Kupchak said. “The black under the eyes and the deep-set eyes that he had the last year or two [in L.A.], I don’t see it as much.”

Kupchak bumps into West occasionally at college and high school events on the talent scouting circuit. Currently, they’re both at the NBA pre-draft camp in Portsmouth, Va.

They talk on the phone every few weeks or so, catching up on their personal lives in addition to discussing business.

One day they might even make a trade.

“It’s not unlikely,” Kupchak said. “I talked to him about a couple of things a couple of years ago. Not the top eight players on our team, something minor.

“I would imagine if he’s in the business long enough and I’m in the business long enough, we will do a deal.”

Will their teams square off in the playoffs? It could happen. The Lakers and San Antonio Spurs are tied for third in the Western Conference and the Grizzlies and Dallas Mavericks are tied for fifth. If the Lakers and Grizzlies finish fourth and fifth, or third and sixth, they would meet in the first round.

West found it tough to watch Laker playoff games in later years. On the court he was known as Mr. Clutch. In a suit, the pressure was too much for him to bear. When the Lakers won the championship in 2000 he couldn’t even stand to be in the arena or watch on television, one of the strongest indications to him that he needed to step aside.

One can only imagine how difficult it would be for him to watch his current team play the team he played for, coached and ran over the first 40 years of his career.

“He would have the same feelings I would have,” Kupchak said. “I would like to win and I know he’d like to win too.

“I think he’s the best. But I’m going to want to beat him. Cold and simple.”