Coach’s End Game?

Phil Jackson expects Laker owner Jerry Buss to tell him today that he will not be invited back as coach of the team, according to people close to Jackson, and that ought to make for an interesting meeting.

Because sources within the organization said Buss expected Jackson to notify him that he has decided not to come back.

At what could be the end of a five-year relationship, the first three of them ending in NBA championships, Jackson and Buss are scheduled to meet at an undisclosed location, away from the team’s headquarters in El Segundo.

Neither was available for comment Thursday, the day the Detroit Pistons were paraded through the streets of Detroit, two days after they beat the Lakers in a five-game NBA Finals.

Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak was not invited to join today’s meeting. He said during Thursday’s season-ending news conference that he did not know if Jackson would be back or even if the organization, meaning Buss, wanted him back.

Kupchak did observe, “No coach coaches forever. So, there’s an end and a beginning to every coach in every organization. It’s always been that way.”

In an off-season that will bring turnover to the roster and coaching staff, Jackson apparently believes the changes will start with him.

After Tuesday’s Game 5, Jackson said there was “a pretty slim chance” he’d return, though he declined to say if the choice would be his or Buss’.

Insiders figured the pair will address the recently concluded season, the direction of the organization, its aging roster and its many free agents, Kobe Bryant chief among them. They’ll eventually get to Jackson’s situation, the contract extension whose negotiations the club terminated in February and Jackson’s ability -- or desire -- to handle Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal in an offense Buss apparently no longer prefers.

The process is between Buss and Jackson; no lawyers, no agents. One team official said there was the chance the two would forget their differences, fall into each other’s arms, call the lawyers and restart negotiations. But that seemed doubtful.

“I don’t expect he’ll be back,” the official said. “But he might.”

Of what he called “the coaching situation,” Kupchak said he hoped to have a resolution within a week, at the outside.

Already, there have been reports and rumors of possible replacements for Jackson, from the established -- Pat Riley, Rudy Tomjanovich and George Karl -- to the organizational favorites -- Jim Cleamons, Kurt Rambis, Brian Shaw and Michael Cooper. But the people who count -- Buss and Kupchak -- have not begun that process.

In the meantime, Kupchak was as eager to learn of his next task, whether it be to find Jackson’s successor or enter the rebuilding phase beside him.

“There’s two sides to this type of situation,” Kupchak said. “He’s a free agent as well. He’ll have options. He’ll have to participate in the decision with his family. We’re going to have to work in tandem with him and decide how this franchise is going to move forward.”

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Zentimental Journey

Some Laker highlights with Phil Jackson as coach:

* 1999-2000 (67-15, won NBA title) -- Jackson is hired on June 16, 1999; record is second-best in franchise history; Shaquille O’Neal is first Laker to lead NBA in scoring since Jerry West in 1969-70; Lakers defeat Indiana, 4-2, to win first NBA title since 1988.

* 2000-01 (56-26, won NBA title) -- Lakers tie a record with 11 consecutive wins to start the playoffs after sweeping their first three opponents (Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio); Lakers set postseason record for highest winning percentage (15-1, .938).

* 2001-02 (58-24, won NBA title) -- Lakers become the fifth team in NBA history to win three consecutive titles; Jackson passes Pat Riley to become winningest coach in NBA playoff history; Lakers win NBA title, giving Jackson his ninth title as coach, tying Red Auerbach for the most in NBA history.

* 2002-03 (50-32, lost in second round) -- Kobe Bryant joins Elgin Baylor and Jerry West as the only Lakers to average at least 30 points in a season; Laker streak of 13 consecutive playoff series victories comes to an end with 4-2 loss to San Antonio in second round.

* 2003-04 (56-26, lost in NBA Finals) -- Lakers win 50 or more games for fifth consecutive season under Jackson; his lifetime winning percentage of .725 (832-316) is the best in NBA history; Lakers go 13-9 in playoffs, giving Jackson a lifetime mark of 175-69 (.717), a record for most lifetime wins and career playoff winning percentage.