After the twists and turns of Thursday were finally put to rest, a clear, straight-ahead picture emerged Friday: The Lakers aren't done yet.
Their coach, Phil Jackson, agreed to return next season, endorsing the addition of Ron Artest simply by coming back for his 19th season as an NBA coach. In fact, Jackson was the one who pushed to sign Artest in the first place, according to a source familiar with Jackson's thinking who was not authorized to speak publicly.
Jackson has always been fascinated by Artest's defensive ability. Now he faces the challenge of coaching Artest in a strict triangle offense that leaves little room for freelancing beyond Kobe Bryant's forays.
It will be entertaining to gauge the Jackson-Artest dynamic, though a phone conversation between them was described by both sides as being productive and positive the day Artest agreed to terms on a three-year contract worth about $18 million.
Beyond Jackson, the Lakers are pushing to keep Lamar Odom despite being hip-deep in luxury taxes for next season's payroll.
Unlike the Trevor Ariza negotiations, which turned sour almost from the start, the Lakers and Odom are patiently waiting each other out, a low-key approach befitting the always-mellow mood of the free-agent power forward.
Odom wants at least $10 million a year, but the Lakers don't want to pay that much, even though they covet the versatile player who helped them emerge from the Western Conference finals by averaging 19.5 points and 11 rebounds in the last two games against Denver, breaking a 2-2 tie.
"If we can get L.O. on board, we'll be pretty good again," said a Lakers source who couldn't speak publicly about negotiations because of the NBA's weeklong ban on teams discussing free agents.
The Lakers have plenty of leverage after agreeing to terms on a three-year deal with Artest. To review their frontcourt: They have 21-year-old Andrew Bynum in the middle, All-Star Pau Gasol at power forward and Artest, a top-notch defender at small forward who occasionally plays power forward.
In other words, Odom's options are limited in a free-agent market that constricts a little more every day.
Of the teams that still have plenty of money to spend, Toronto has a solid power forward in Chris Bosh, Portland has LaMarcus Aldridge and Oklahoma City has a pair of up-and-coming forwards in Kevin Durant and Jeff Green.
