Bryant Has to Say Yes on Jackson

It can be more than a souvenir, it can be a symbol.

If Kobe Bryant plays this right, it can be more than just an endorsement from a hamburger chain, it can be an embrace from a city.

You heard about Bryant’s rise from the commercial graveyard, right? His first new and visible sales pitch since his legal troubles?

A Southland-based joint that previously dumped him like cold fries will now sell Bryant’s likeness on a bobble-head doll.

Which is precisely what needs to happen this spring when the Lakers come to Bryant with the idea of hiring Phil Jackson.

His head needs to bobble.

Bryant, saying yes to the return of the only person who can clean up his mess.

Bryant, buying the idea that a team can have more than one star.

Bryant, agreeing he cannot do it alone.

The season hit Kobe bottom Tuesday when Bryant scored 41 and the Lakers were still humiliated by the weary Clippers, 110-101.

For all of Bryant’s magic, the play everyone will remember is Lamar Odom’s idiotic and dangerous floor-length toss into the stands after the whistle had blown.

For all of Bryant’s leadership, and he’s trying, the Lakers stood around while the Clippers scored 33 points -- 33! -- in the third quarter.

A winning season? Maybe. The playoffs? Please.

It’s over, folks, this idea that the Lakers could be any fun without Jackson and Shaquille O’Neal.

It’s a fact, folks, that Jerry Buss made one of the biggest mistakes in sports history by allowing one of the greatest teams in sports history to disband.

But there’s still hope. Buss can fix half of the mistake. Since O’Neal will be busy in the NBA Finals this summer, that leaves Jackson.

And that leaves Bryant to welcome him home.

Bryant really wants to change his public image now that his legal troubles are history? It’s just a nod away.

Bryant wants to salvage his future here now that he is living in an eight-seeded reality that will grow old before he does? A simple gesture will do it.

He has taken the blame for ending the dynasty.

Why not get the credit for bringing it back?

And Jackson would bring it back, all of it, the winning, the postseason and, of course, the coveted buzz.

“The Lakers feel like they need a name like that, and I don’t know how much coaching ability has to do with it,” said a chuckling Tex Winter, the brains behind Jackson’s zen.

“But of course, we all know Phil can coach.”

The Lakers have said they are interested in Jackson, and hinted that they would pursue him even without Bryant’s blessing.

(After all, with Bryant’s infamous cell-phone scolding of Karl Malone ringing in everyone’s ears, they still tried to wave down the Mailman, right?)

But this is different. To pay Jackson more than $10 million without Bryant’s endorsement would be like throwing good money after mad.

Jerry Buss allowed Bryant to make the bed, he must now let him lie in it ... or something like that.

Earlier this season, when asked about the possibility of Jackson’s return, Bryant said he would “roll with it.”

This being somewhat short of a “Yippee,” it’s a statement with lots of wiggle-out-of-it room.

For the sake of the Laker tradition, it’s comforting to know that one person believes him.

“In my mind, Kobe would be fine with it,” said Winter, speaking by phone before showing up at Tuesday’s embarrassment. “In the past he has been critical of things, thinking he was hamstrung in Phil’s offense, but I think now he realizes he needs to go back to that team philosophy.”

But after ripping Bryant in his book, would Jackson be able to coach him again?

“I think he would be fine,” said Winter. “I think, by the end of last year, things were fine between them. Well, not fine, but OK. They were better. Kobe felt like he was given a better role.”

Of course, this doesn’t answer why Jackson would want to return to a team that seems no closer to a championship than, well, the Clippers.

“Oh no, they’re not that far away,” Winter said.

“They have the personnel that fits with his philosophies. They’re just missing some pieces.”

Yeah, a 340-pound piece named....

“They do need somebody who can dominate the boards,” Winter said. “They need an inside game to help their penetration. But they’re not that far away.”

So Jackson might come, and the Lakers would certainly want him and, once again, it all comes back to Bryant.

He’s a student of the game, right? All he needs to do is watch the film.

As Tuesday again showed, his Lakers are worse than mediocre, worse than underachieving.

They are plain boring.

Another huge game, another lack of spark, more empty seats at the end, and a confession.

I have attended fewer games this season than at any time in the last 10 years.

I have also missed fewer games than in any time in the 10 years.

What’s to miss?

As brilliant as Bryant has played, watching him is like watching a masterpiece in a gallery of finger paintings.

The thrill lasts for a few minutes, then you look at the ceiling and check the time.

Many folks have vowed to stay away until the fire returns. Others, like Rudy Tomjanovich, have left for good.

Phil Jackson seems undecided. Bryant could do a lot to convince him.

Here’s an idea. Take him to a certain fast-food joint and buy him a bobble head.

Just do it after the lottery party, OK?

Bill Plaschke can be reached at bill.plaschke@latimes.com. To read previous columns by Plaschke, go to latimes.com/plaschke.