West says he wasn’t man behind curtain on big deal

Finally, Jerry West can watch the Lakers without being swamped by the anxiety that drove him to pace the hallways or roam the freeways while the team he assembled became a behemoth that would win three consecutive NBA championships.

The Lakers still bear his imprint nearly eight years after he retired for the first time, after that first title, and they will forever have a claim on his heart. And West, back in Southern California full-time after five seasons as the Memphis Grizzlies’ president of basketball operations, likes what he sees of his old team.

General Manager Mitch Kupchak’s acquisition of 7-footer Pau Gasol from the Grizzlies for Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton and two first-round draft picks -- a trade West said he was not involved in, contradicting the rumors and conspiracy theories that have buzzed around the Internet -- was a good one, he believes.

And who’s going to argue with Jerry West?

“I think they have the best team in the West and I said that before they got him,” West said Friday in a rare interview.

“He’s a terrific kid, a very skilled offensive player,” West said of Gasol. “He’s got size and some versatility. He’s a very good player. It’s a terrific deal for the Lakers.

“He’s a wonderful person. Very team-orientated. If you’re around him you’ll find he’s not aloof. I have nothing critical to say about him. This is a steal for the present.”

West still follows the Lakers, but from a distance. That’s purely by his choice.

The man who brought Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal to Los Angeles and made the Lakers the hottest ticket in town again, who mentored Kupchak and brought passion and dignity and pride to everything he did, would be welcomed at Staples Center any time he showed up.

Actually, the Lakers should commission a statue in his honor and plant it outside the building, so much do they owe him -- and so important is it that no one forget what he did for this franchise.

West visited Staples Center briefly on Dec. 30, the night the Lakers played the Boston Celtics and wore their throwback uniforms with the short-shorts. He participated in the ceremonial tipoff and then vanished, not lingering for interviews or self-indulgent plunges into pools of nostalgic memories.

“I don’t go out that much,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of basketball. A lot of general managers and agents call me, but I’m trying to be out of the limelight. I really don’t like being in the limelight.”

He’s not involved with any team now.

“And I’m not going to be,” he said.

It takes some patience to discover why this retirement might stick.

West, who will be 70 in May, is still recovering from a dislocated shoulder he suffered in a golf-cart accident five months ago. For West, who wastes neither time nor words and speaks in emphatic, staccato bursts, it was a frustrating time.

“I’m just now getting to the point where I can do some things, like work out and lift weights,” said West, who continues to follow a regimen of physical therapy.

“I am a very solitary person. I have to be active. I love to hit golf balls just to have something physical to do.”

That was as much time as he was willing to spend on talking about himself.

“Let’s get back to basketball,” he said with a firmness that would allow no challenge.

“I think people are very excited about this trade, and obviously I’m very happy for Mitch. I’ve seen some of the criticism he’s gotten here and it’s not justified.

“The Lakers have always had a lot of great players, and there’s a lot of good fortune involved in being in the right position to sign free agents. But when you can get a player who’s 27 years of age and has that size and ability to score, that’s good work.”

Gasol had his most productive game as a Laker on Friday, scoring 30 points in a 117-113 victory over the Magic at Orlando. His defensive flaws are no secret, but West chose to leave any disparaging remarks to others.

That’s fine. It’s not his team and it’s not his place and he looks better remaining on the high road.

“Pau has a good basketball IQ,” West said. “This is a very positive thing for the Lakers and I think fans will appreciate him.”

The Gasol trade was the first of three major moves by Western Conference contenders. In quick succession the San Antonio Spurs signed Damon Stoudamire to replace the injured Tony Parker and the Phoenix Suns acquired O’Neal from Miami.

West praised San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich, saying the Spurs “play so well together. They have such camaraderie.” The Suns, he speculated, “probably said, ‘We want to win this year and we’re probably not going to win if we don’t do this.’ ” Adding O’Neal “changes the dynamics of it, for sure,” West said.

But in his mind, there’s still one clear favorite.

It’s not the Suns.

Said West: “I still don’t think they’re as good as the Lakers.”

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Helene Elliott can be reached at helene.elliott@latimes.com.

To read previous columns by Elliott, go to latimes.com/elliott.