HoopsHype.com Rumors

Jeanie Buss: @PhilJackson11 Phil, in regards to Kobe vs. MJ - KOBE IS THE BEST. My humble opinion. @kobebryant #Lakers Twitter @JeanieBuss

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Jeanie Buss 

Phil Jackson: Listen friends of bball; don’t get hung up on words. I was most fortunate to have the chance to coach two of the greatest gds. EVER MJ/Kobe. Twitter

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, Jeanie Buss 

Phil Jackson apparently would like to have another stint in the NBA. The 11-time champion coach said Thursday evening on "The Tonight Show" that he was interested in a front-office job with the Seattle group that failed in an attempt to relocate the Sacramento Kings. "I had communication with the guy that's trying to make this move," Jackson said on the show, referencing Chris Hansen, the leader of the Seattle bid. "It was serious talk. I thought he was a really good guy for the league." Los Angeles Times

Sacramento Kings, Phil Jackson, Seattle, Chris Hansen 

Now that the team will remain in Sacramento, Jackson said he will not be working for the franchise. "I won't be doing the [front-office] job in Sacramento. I like Sacramento," Jackson said. "Well, not that much." Los Angeles Times

Sacramento Kings, Phil Jackson 

In his appearance, he also joked about the Lakers choosing to hire Mike D'Antoni as Mike Brown's replacement, instead of Jackson. "I told Jeanie [Buss], she was upset for two months. I got engaged," Jackson quipped. Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson, Owners, Jeanie Buss 

Phil appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" last night and said about Mike D'Antoni: "Mike, with the right personnel is a great coach. This personnel wasn't really quite fit for Mike's coaching. He likes a 3-point shooting group of guys; he likes twos and threes in the corner. His great guard Nash was on the team, obviously; Steve's a great guard. He can distribute the ball. But that other big guy has to be, they call it now a stretch four. He has to be able to shoot 3-pointers. Pau wasn't quite fit into that. Pau and Howard together, too big, too much of a load for that post. He doesn't really like guys in the post. He likes guys outside." Sulia

Phil Jackson, Coaching, Mike D'Antoni, Los Anglees Lakers 

Sam Amico: Word of Toronto suggests this very well could be Bryan Colangelo's final week as Raptors GM. And no, Phil Jackson won't be replacing him. Twitter @SamAmicoFSO

Toronto Raptors, Phil Jackson, Bryan Colangelo 

It's coming out now, though, in Jackson's 339-page memoir co-written with Hugh Delehanty and available Tuesday: "Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success." MJ vs. Kobe? Here it is from the man who would know best. "Michael was more charismatic and gregarious than Kobe. He loved hanging out with his teammates and security guards, playing cards, smoking cigars, and joking around," Jackson said in the book, which was obtained in advance by The Times. Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson 

"Kobe is different. He was reserved as a teenager, in part because he was younger than the other players and hadn't developed strong social skills in college. When Kobe first joined the Lakers, he avoided fraternizing with his teammates. But his inclination to keep to himself shifted as he grew older. Increasingly, Kobe put more energy into getting to know the other players, especially when the team was on the road." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson 

"No question, Michael was a tougher, more intimidating defender. He could break through virtually any screen and shut down almost any player with his intense, laser-focused style of defense," said Jackson, who coached Jordan to six championships and Bryant to five. "Kobe has learned a lot from studying Michael's tricks, and we often used him as our secret weapon on defense when we needed to turn the direction of a game. In general, Kobe tends to rely more heavily on his flexibility and craftiness, but he takes a lot of gambles on defense and sometimes pays the price." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson 

"One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael's superior skills as a leader," Jackson said. "Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence. Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he'd yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had." Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Lakers, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson 

KC Johnson: Phil Jackson's new book "Eleven Rings" comes out next week. Join him at Chicago Tribune Printers Row event on May 23. bit.ly/16ZJUeL Twitter @KCJHoop

Phil Jackson 

How big of a boss is Phil Jackson? A fan asked him to showcase all 13 of his NBA championship rings (11 as a coach, two as a player), and he pulled them out like it was nothing. The two rings in the front are from his time as a player in New York. The six in the middle are from his years in Chicago and the five at the top are from when he held it down with the Lakers. Dime

Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Phil Jackson, Coaching 

NBA coaching legend Phil Jackson was announced Tuesday as the guest speaker of the Babe Ruth World Series Banquet on Friday, Aug. 16, in the Williston State College gym. The 13-time NBA champion graduated from Williston High School in 1963, leading the Coyotes to a state championship before moving on to the University of North Dakota. Williston Herald

Phil Jackson 

With a trifecta of coaches around 70 years old rumored as potential candidates, including Phil Jackson, Larry Brown and Jerry Sloan, why wouldn’t the most accomplished basketball player in the New York area over the last 30 years be considered? Mike Greenberg of ESPN Radio’s Mike and Mike asked Ewing that question Friday morning when he appeared on the show to talk about the 2013 NBA Playoffs. “Your guess is as good as mine,” Ewing candidly responded. He continued. “You know what? I’m putting in the work. I’ve been an assistant coach for nine, 10 years. I’m trying to learn my craft, become better at it. I really don’t know. All I can do is just continue to work, continue to knock on doors. Hopefully that one team will decide to give me an opportunity and give me the opportunity to be successful or to fail.” SNY Nets

Phil Jackson, Coaching, Jerry Sloan, Larry Brown, Patrick Ewing 

In the category of unemployed future Hall of Fame coaches, Phil Jackson has been capturing the large majority of the spotlight in recent weeks. But while it remains to be seen if the former Lakers and Bulls coach will re-enter the NBA anytime soon, another member of this rarest of clubs may be getting closer to making his return: Jerry Sloan. USA Today Sports

Phil Jackson, Coaching, Jerry Sloan 

Phil Jackson visited and left in his first visible contribution to president of basketball operations Joe Dumars' coaching search, which has included four known formal interviewees, and undoubtedly others whom Dumars has kept under wraps. Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Joe Dumars 

Sources say there is no leading candidate, though the Pistons' ability to pry an interview out of Mike Budenholzer certainly represented some leeway in the San Antonio Spurs veteran assistant coach's future plans. Budenholzer long has been considered the top choice to replace Spurs boss Gregg Popovich someday, and while that still could happen, there are only 30 of these jobs and that bird-in-hand thing to consider, if the Pistons' and Budenholzer's shared interest should take them deep into the search process. Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Gregg Popovich, Joe Dumars, Mike Budenholzer 

Jackson's long relationship with Brian Shaw, the Indiana Pacers assistant regarded as a top head-coaching candidate, also could factor into the search. Pacers president of basketball operations Donnie Walsh has said he would prefer his assistants not interview for other jobs during the postseason, but if Jackson happens to mention to Shaw that he thinks Detroit might be a good fit, and Dumars happens to agree, then the unconventional association between Jackson and the Pistons could pay substantive dividends. Booth Newspapers

Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, Phil Jackson, Coaching, Brian Shaw, Donnie Walsh, Joe Dumars 

On the other sources close to the MLSE familiar with Leiweke’s thinking say he’s also tapping into his NBA contacts to determine if there might be a preferred choice to give the franchise over to for a complete makeover. One name that can be crossed off any lists, sources say, is Phil Jackson. The 11-time NBA champion head coach won six titles working with Leiweke in Los Angeles and the two are friends, but the likelihood of Jackson relocating to Toronto and taking on a full-time role as a club executive are considered remote at this point. SportsNet

Toronto Raptors, Phil Jackson