Hamblen, Rambis Likely to Return

Phil Jackson’s coaching staff is becoming more clear, with Frank Hamblen and Kurt Rambis expected to fill two of the four spots reserved for assistant coaches, a team spokesman said Tuesday.

Contracts have not been signed, but what was logical from the day Jackson was hired will officially take place shortly after the team’s other two assistants are determined by Jackson. Candidates for those positions include Brian Shaw and Scottie Pippen, both of whom played for Jackson.

“Phil has not hired anyone yet but it’s likely Frank Hamblen and Kurt Rambis will be back as full-time assistants,” Laker spokesman John Black said.

Jackson has a strong comfort zone with Hamblen and Rambis, who have spent a combined 11 seasons at his side.

Hamblen won three championships as a Laker assistant under Jackson and another two with the Chicago Bulls. Rambis, a member of four Laker championship teams in the 1980s, was an assistant under Jackson for three seasons, including the 2002 Laker championship run.

Hamblen, 58, went 10-29 after taking over as head coach in the wake of Rudy Tomjanovich’s abrupt mid-season resignation. Next season would be Hamblen’s 36th as a pro coach.

Rambis, 47, was pulled out of a Laker front-office position last February to shore up Hamblen’s staff. A rough-hewn forward in his playing days, Rambis will work with Laker post players.

Rambis will run the Lakers’ summer-league team, which begins practice today and plays its first game Friday in Long Beach. Shaw is an assistant coach for the summer team.

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Jackson is interested in reuniting with Jim Cleamons, but the former Laker assistant is under contract with the New Orleans Hornets, is well-liked by Coach Byron Scott and could cost the Lakers compensation if they receive permission to talk to him and he accepts an offer.

Cleamons was an assistant under Jackson for three championship seasons with the Bulls and three more with the Lakers.

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The Lakers are expected to hire Tex Winter as a consultant, although Winter said Tuesday his role would be more limited.

“I can’t take as much time on the job as I have in the past,” he said. “Maybe five days a month. I don’t know what Phil has in mind. I’d like to keep my hand in it a little bit if I feel like I can help him.”

Winter, 82, will meet Friday with Jackson after the Laker coach returns from a two-week trip to his home in Montana.

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Laker first-round selection Andrew Bynum, the youngest player drafted in league history, has hired David Lee as his agent. Lee, based in New York, has mainly represented former college players who play overseas.

Bynum and second-round picks Ronny Turiaf and Von Wafer will play Friday in the Lakers’ summer-league opener.