Jackson’s coaching is drawing attention

Phil Jackson was drawing up schemes and sets on the white board before Tuesday’s game when an old friend dropped by the locker room and chided him for doing the work normally reserved for assistant coaches.

Without skipping a beat, Jackson replied, “I’ve lost all control of my staff.”

Not entirely.

Jackson was doing the diagrams because the Chicago Bulls are the one team he is in charge of scouting, but the overall job he has done so far this season was a point of interest among Chicago media when he returned to United Center, the house that he, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen helped put on the map in the 1990s.

The Lakers dropped to 16-9 after losing to the Bulls, but there had been enough of a sense of early-season accomplishment to garner questions about Jackson’s season to date, which has consisted of a majority of victories, some without Lamar Odom and some without a fully operational Kobe Bryant.

“That was the whole idea of coming back and coaching with the Lakers, was to try and get this franchise where it’s been for so long, and stay at the top of the list,” Jackson said. “I’m not saying that I could have coached that team to a playoff position [in 2004-05], but last year we got back in the ranks and this year we got off to a good start.”

So Jackson should get some coach-of-the-year consideration?

“It’s too early,” he said. “It’s only one-fourth of the way home. We’ve got a long ways to go.”

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Bryant has said he doesn’t ever want to coach, although he received an endorsement Tuesday from Jackson.

“I wouldn’t have said that a few years ago, but he may,” Jackson said. “He’s a guy that comes back and will say, ‘Do you have a game tape of the next team we have coming up?’ and he’ll study the tape before we even get there. He’s watching and learning all the time.”

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Bryant wasn’t happy after fouling out Tuesday with 52.4 seconds to play. He was called for fouling Thabo Sefolosha in the act of shooting.

“I would love to foul out on a foul where I actually like foul, foul somebody,” Bryant said. “I had my hand on the ball and had an opportunity to block it and I actually pulled my hand back because I didn’t want to risk a sixth foul. But it happens.”

TONIGHT

at Minnesota, 5 PST, Ch. 9

Site -- Target Center.

Radio -- 570; 1330.

Records -- Lakers 16-9; Timberwolves 10-11.

Record vs. Timberwolves (2005-06) -- 1-3.

Update -- Kevin Garnett is averaging 21.7 points and 11.9 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who have played fewer games than any NBA team this season.

mike.bresnahan@latimes.com