Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis spent most of Tuesday waxing his truck, relaxing and running to get food for his daughter later that night when his telephone began ringing constantly, all wanting to know his feelings about the comments from Lakers Coach Phil Jackson.
Rambis, after picking up dinner, said he had been aware that Jackson is open to the idea of having Rambis coach some road games next season in his place and that Jackson will make a decision on his coaching future in early July.
Rambis coached one game for Jackson last season when he elected to remain in Los Angeles instead of traveling to Portland for the game because of swelling in his legs from plantar fasciitis.
"This is not new to me," Rambis, who was one of the final candidates for the Sacramento Kings head coaching job, said late Tuesday night. "This is one of the many ideas we kicked around a little.
"The hardest part about the job is the travel. It's especially hard when you have physical issues. There's some travel that are particularly grueling. He can take tough road trips off. Phil is probably at a point where he is looking to wind his career down and I'm looking to wind my career up."
While doing a radio interview with 710 AM Tuesday morning, Jackson reiterated what he told reporters last Friday at the team's training facility in El Segundo -- that his health would be the only reason to keep him from coaching next season.
Jackson said he will soon have some tests to determine his health and that if it turns out favorable "that there's no doubt" that he'll return to coach the Lakers for the 2009-10 season, which he is set to earn $12 million.
Jackson, who turns 64 in September, told the radio station that the organization has "toyed" with the idea of him skipping some road games and with having Rambis take over the head coaching duties in his place.
Jackson has had two hip-replacement surgeries, an angioplasty and gout during his two stints coaching the Lakers.
Rambis said the idea is to keep Jackson healthy for the long run and physically fit so the Lakers have a better chance at defending the championship they just won.
"Everybody benefits," Rambis said. "Phil remains fresh without having the season and the travel wear him down. It gives me valuable coaching experience. What the future holds beyond Phil, I don't know. But this keeps continuity of what we're doing, what we do defensively and offensively."
broderick.turner@latimes.com
