It was ironic that on the day Knicks and Lakers battled at the Garden, Phil Jackson returned home yesterday from a six-week vacation to Australia and New Zealand.
The league’s two most famous teams will battle again March 29 at Staples Center in L.A., then likely battle for Jackson in the spring and summer to be their next head coach.
Charley Rosen, one of Jackson’s oldest friends, told The Post that Jackson returned last night to Los Angeles. Rosen believes Jackson will do a motivational speaking tour during March and not even begin to consider his head-coaching options for next season.
Jackson wrote the foreword for Rosen’s new book on the Lakers, “The Pivotal Season” – an account of L.A.’s record-setting 1971-72 campaign – that came out two weeks ago.
Rosen still believes neither the Lakers nor Knicks will wind up with Jackson, but gives the Knicks a better chance.
Rosen said he believes Jackson will consider a GM position next season, too, though he has no experience in that area.
“I think his relationship with the whole [Laker] organization is irreparable,” Rosen told The Post yesterday. “A lot of stuff that went down [upon Jackson’s exit] never saw the light of day. Kobe [Bryant] was disruptive. Why would he [Jackson] come back? To rebuild? I just can’t see him coming back just for Jeanie [Buss, Jackson’s girlfriend and daughter of owner Jerry Buss]. Though I can’t see the Knicks either.”
Jeanie Buss, a Laker executive, has pushed for her boyfriend’s return.
Indeed, many feel Jackson’s return to the Lakers is a big longshot considering his feud with Bryant and Jackson’s own tell-all book that makes the Laker star shooting guard look bad.
But when The Post asked Bryant during All-Star Weekend about the chances of Jackson becoming the next Lakers coach, he said he doesn’t consider it a longshot, adding he felt it was a “real possibility.”
However, Bryant also saw Jackson possibly taking on the Knicks. Jackson is fifth all-time in games played with the Knicks (732), and his coaching mentor was Red Holzman.
As far as taking over a rebuilding situation in New York, Bryant said, “I think he can adapt anywhere. He’s a great coach. I think he can coach anywhere and can to adapt to anything. He loves New York. He loves New York.”
Laker acting coach Frank Hamblen, a friend of Jackson, wonders if Jackson would take on a rebuilding project such as the Knicks.
“He’s been on vacation for six weeks, so I haven’t talked to him,” Hamblen said. “But he’s back in town. I don’t know how he’s feeling. But Phil’s one of the greatest closers of all time. When a team has a chance to win a championship, he closes the deal, so I don’t know [about the Knicks].”
Also during All-Star Weekend, Magic Johnson said the league needs the Knicks and Lakers to be prominent again. And he figured both clubs will give an honest pitch to Jackson, who has won nine championships, tying Red Auerbach.
The Lakers are trying to cope with life after Shaquille O’Neal and Jackson. Hamblen, who took over for Rudy Tomjanovich last month, has installed a simple form of the triangle offense that Jax used to effectively in winning six titles in Chicago and three with the Lakers.
