According his longtime girlfriend and Lakers executive vice president of business operations Jeanie Buss, the owner of 10 NBA titles could be on the hunt for a new job come the summer.
"I know Phil will be coaching next year, somewhere. Whether it's here or someplace else I don't know," Buss told ESPN.com. "There's going to be a lot of good jobs that come up this summer. … I know that he can't just retire."
While Jackson said earlier this year that a Lakers championship would almost guarantee his return, there's still an issue of money.
"My dad, [Lakers owner Jerry Buss], has made it very clear he doesn't want to pay [Jackson] what he's been paying him. So that's kind of hard, too," Buss said in reference to Jackson's $12 million contract. "You could kind of say, in some jobs, well, I'm cutting back your hours. But can you see him cutting back his hours? It's not really about the amount of money for [Jackson]. It's about, 'I can't give you less effort.'"
Money's certainly a factor, but how's this for an angle: Jackson coached Michael Jordan to six titles, Kobe Bryant to four and Shaquille O'Neal to three. He's coached LeBron James to zero. Could Jackson be looking to write the final chapter of his coaching legacy with King James at his side? Probably not, but the summer of 2010 just got that much more interesting
