This Team Gives Out Talking Points

Here’s the latest after another nutty news day in Lakerland: Phil Jackson ... going? Kobe Bryant ... here today, gone tomorrow.

The Lakers announced Wednesday that they had suspended negotiations on an extension for Jackson, whose contract expires after this season. That didn’t appear to faze Bryant, who gave the impression that Jackson’s situation didn’t matter to him because he won’t be with the Lakers next season anyway.

When asked whether Jackson’s status would have any effect on his own future with the team, Bryant (who plans to opt out of his contract this summer) said: “Not really.”

“It doesn’t matter if he’s here or not?” he was asked.

“I don’t care,” Bryant said.

Is it getting clearer now, folks? He’s walking out the door, and the only question is where will he end up -- which has become a common guessing game in opposing locker rooms lately. If you were still thinking that he’d remain in purple and gold, well you probably thought Ben and J. Lo would last forever too.

All of this overshadowed the news that Bryant was back in the Laker lineup and a go for the All-Star game after spending seven games on the injured list with a sliced finger. And of course, that news overshadowed the latest round of Shaquille O’Neal vs. Yao Ming (won by Yao and the Rockets).

At least O’Neal put aside his off-and-on spat with Jackson, whom he often refers to with an expletive or two, to offer some support for his coach.

“Hopefully, they’ll do the right thing,” O’Neal said. “If they don’t, we’ll just have to worry about that when it happens.”

Does he want Jackson back?

“Of course,” O’Neal said. “Why wouldn’t I want him back?”

Jackson worked with one-year deals in his final two seasons in Chicago, which both resulted in championships. That’s one of the reasons his contract isn’t a priority for the players right now.

When coaches and teams part ways, the assistant coaches are the ancillary victims, like children in a divorce. The Laker staff wasn’t overly worried at the moment. They expressed confidence that a deal can be struck and joked about restricting their wives’ shopping just in case.

I think the Lakers and Jackson can work something out. There’s never been an indication from either side that there are insurmountable obstacles. Curiously, there’s never been a good explanation of what’s holding up the extension. This could have, and should have, been done before training camp opened. And while the two sides don’t seem as distant and acrimonious as, say, the grocery workers and their employers, the fact remains that there isn’t a contract. And that means Jackson’s time with the Lakers could be coming to an end.

Just another issue on a crowded list of Laker plotlines.

“As the world turns,” Horace Grant sang in the locker room.

The Lakers made the announcement in the hope of cutting off discussion of the matter. But all they did was bring it to the table. Of course, the media feasted on it.

Jackson tried to avoid the topic. It wasn’t working.

“I don’t want to talk about that right now,” he said. “Let’s talk about the game, OK?”

That brought on a few questions about Bryant and how well he had recovered from his finger and shoulder injuries. Then it was back to the contract, and more uneasiness for Jackson. He seemed a little caught off guard the issue was in a public forum.

“I wasn’t informed that it was going to be made a public thing today, so I’m a little surprised tonight,” Jackson said. “This ending of discussion happened last weekend, but we didn’t have a public comment, and the Lakers chose to make it public today, so.... “

So here we are, incredibly, forced to wonder whether Jackson would consider coaching anywhere else next season and where. It’s hard to imagine him going to any team that wasn’t within reach of a championship, and none of the top contenders’ jobs appear to be in jeopardy.

Another thought is the New York Knicks. His affinity for the city, his desire to fill the seat once occupied by coaching idol Red Holzman and new Knick boss Isiah Thomas’ desire to make a big-splash hire make them a possibility. Remember, he talked to them in 1999 before the Knicks made a run to the NBA Finals to save Jeff Van Gundy’s job -- and leave Jackson on the market for the Lakers.

For Bryant, I’d still consider the Clippers the top destination and the Phoenix Suns second. With the Clippers he doesn’t have to worry about moving, and he would love to battle O’Neal for supremacy of L.A. Of course, knowing the Clippers’ luck, Bryant would sign with them and then be found guilty in his sexual assault trial and be sentenced to life in prison.

In the immediate future, we know the next uniform Bryant will wear is the Western Conference All-Stars on Sunday. He was the leading vote-getter in the West, showing he’s still loved around the country. And the All-Star game will be a chance to do some more image-repairing in the middle of a fun setting on national television.

“Being healthy for [the Lakers] is the most important, obviously,” Bryant said. “And defending -- not defending, but trying to get our championship back. I’m so used to saying it.

“Playing in the All-Star game is fun, especially because of the amount of votes I received. I do want to get out there and play and show the fans that I appreciate all the votes.”

Maybe he’ll be closer to normal than he was Wednesday, when he picked his spots on offense and couldn’t handle Cuttino Mobley on defense. Bryant did make four of five three-pointers. “Maybe I should be in the three-point shootout,” he joked.

Come Monday, the Lakers will get back to their usual, crazy ways, surrounded by more doubt than ever, making you wonder what could possibly happen next.

“It’s a mysterious season to me, anyway,” Gary Payton said. “Something else is going to come up. We’re not trippin’.”

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J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Adande, go to latimes.com/Adande.