Timing could be right for a reunion between Kurt Rambis and Lakers

If Kurt Rambis truly is on his way out in Minnesota, as CBS Sports recently reported and the Timberwolves denied, the timing could be right for a Lakers-Rambis reunion. …

Brian Shaw probably hopes that Rambis stays put. …

Phil Jackson’s successor, of course, will inherit a team that could be a three-time defending NBA champion. …

Kobe Bryant and his teammates continue trending upward. …

“Amidst all the wheeling and dealing by NBA general managers this season,” reader Dean M. Smith of Juniper Hills e-mails to note, “we Laker fans were stuck with a do-nothing guy in Mitch Kupchak. And as such, he should be GM of the year.” …

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Smith, by the way, says he is no relation to the Dean Smith who coached Kupchak at North Carolina. …

One thing you can say about timeout-laden NCAA tournament games: They’re not lacking in bathroom breaks. …

Virginia Commonwealth Coach Shaka Smart, his team blasted as unworthy of an NCAA tournament bid, opened his postgame news conference after Wednesday’s victory over USC by asking, “You guys think Jay Bilas watched that game?” …

ESPN’s VCU-baiting Bilas probably would agree: It was Kevin O’Neill’s rattled Trojans who looked overmatched. …

Adrian Peterson, after comparing the plight of NFL players to “modern-day slavery,” noted, “People kind of laugh at that.” …

Or they cringe. …

Peyton Manning, believe it or not, turns 35 next week. …

Jay Gibbons is known more for his bat than his glove, but the Dodgers left fielder seems to have gone 0 for 2 with two strikeouts when it comes to vision-correction surgery. …

Goaltender Ray Emery, a winner Wednesday night in his first start for his new team, is the Ducks’ first black player. …

Appearances by Anze Kopitar and the Kings have accounted for two of the Ducks’ four sellouts at Honda Center. …

Cliff Lee’s recent comment that he chose the Philadelphia Phillies over the New York Yankees during the off-season because “some of the Yankee guys are getting older” surely will be revisited if the teams meet in the World Series. …

Long-in-the-tooth Yankees include: Mariano Rivera, 41; Jorge Posada, 39; Derek Jeter, 36; and Alex Rodriguez, 35. …

Tim Lincecum of the San Francisco Giants won’t be Tiny Tim for long if he continues ordering his usual at In-N-Out, as reported by Yahoo: three double-doubles, hold the lettuce and tomato; two orders of fries; and a chocolate-strawberry shake. …

“I’m not a big vegetable guy,” Lincecum notes. …

JaVale McGee of the Washington Wizards, son of former USC standout Pamela McGee, rang up an unusual triple-double this week: 11 points, 12 rebounds, 12 blocked shots. …

The over-under on Shaquille O’Neal’s averages with the Boston Celtics this season, according to odds posted at Bodog.com last summer: 10.5 points and 6.5 rebounds. …

As of St. Patrick’s Day, the 39-year-old oft-idled Big Shamrock was at career lows of 9.3 and 4.9. …

LaMichael James and Oregon, after ending last season with a loss to Auburn in the BCS championship game, open next season against another Southeastern Conference power, facing Louisiana State at Cowboys Stadium in Dallas. …

Hall of Famer Frank “Home Run” Baker, belying his nickname, hit only 96 home runs in his major league career. …

Georgia forward and 6-foot-10 NBA prospect Trey Thompkins, belying his given name, is less a three-point threat than an inside post presence. …

Only one Division I women’s basketball team has made fewer three-point baskets than UCLA, making it all the more remarkable that Nikki Caldwell’s Bruins have thrived. …

Fifty years ago this weekend, Bob Goalby fired a PGA-record eight consecutive birdies in the final round at St. Petersburg, Fla. …

Two years ago, the record finally fell when Mark Calcavecchia carded nine in a row at the Canadian Open. …

Reader Bennett Tramer of Santa Monica e-mails to ask, “How can satire ever hope to keep up with reality in a world where Donald Sterling didn’t realize Elgin Baylor was a basketball player?”

jerome.crowe@latimes.com