New kid in the Hall: Jackson

Lakers Coach Phil Jackson, a winner of nine NBA championships, has been named to enter the Basketball Hall of Fame, a league source said.

The new members won’t be announced until Monday, but nominees who are elected are typically informed by Hall of Fame officials the Friday before the announcement takes place.

Jackson, 61, will become the Lakers’ 18th inductee at a ceremony in September in Springfield, Mass.

He declined to comment Friday, but spoke reflectively of a Hall of Fame spot when the Lakers put him up for nomination earlier in the season.

“It’s an honor,” Jackson said at the time. “I’ve always said these types of things are a reflection of a lot of things -- the system that we’ve run, the influence of the people that have been on my staff, and the players we’ve been lucky enough to have coached.”

Jackson has an overall NBA record of 915-387 (.703).

Unlike players, coaches do not need to be retired for five years to be considered for the Hall of Fame, but they need to have 25 years of coaching experience. Jackson is in his 16th season as a head coach, but his time as an assistant coach with the Chicago Bulls and New Jersey Nets counts toward the requirement.

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The Lakers continued to count their bumps and bruises, with forward Maurice Evans sitting out a fifth consecutive game Friday against Houston, Brian Cook sidelined again because of his ankle, but center Kwame Brown returning after sitting out a game because his sore left ankle flared up.

Jackson has seen a lot in his years, but this might be a first this late in the season.

“We’ve never had a team this beat up,” he said.

Lamar Odom (shoulder) and Luke Walton (ankle) are playing despite injuries, and the Lakers could get back Vladimir Radmanovic (separated shoulder) within a week, Jackson said.

So many banged-up players on so many teams around the league, including the Lakers, had Jackson thinking about the bigger picture.

“The injuries that we have in this league right now, we’re playing too much basketball,” he said. “Are we doing too much off season? Is our training too intense? We really are faced with some things that are big discussions.

“I’ve always been a proponent of ‘There’s too many games’ -- 75, whatever it would take ... cut it down, bring it down a little bit. Just to help these players have a better opportunity to perform and not perform under the fatigue, which is where they get hurt.”

The NBA has played an 82-game schedule since the 1967-68 season.

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com