Jeanie Buss

Ron Artest wasn't the only conflict Phil Jackson addressed on Tuesday. An old rival, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban , took issue with Jackson's recent declaration that the Mavericks would find it "very hard" to win consistently without injured forward Caron Butler , who was lost for the rest of the season because of a knee injury. "I love that Jeanie Buss ' boy toy had something to say about us," Cuban told reporters in Dallas. "I don't know if it was his thought or Jeanie's thought, but it's nice to know that she lets him speak in public about other teams.

Jeanie Buss couldn't help but laugh. She's Phil Jackson's longtime companion but says she doesn't even know how much he wants to coach in the NBA again. "I can't answer that question," said Buss, a Lakers executive vice president. "Only he can. Nobody's called him. Unless somebody calls, we won't know how to answer that question. " That uncertainty also applies to the New York Knicks, who recently fired coach Mike D'Antoni . Jackson won 11 NBA championships as a coach — six with the Chicago Bulls and five with the Lakers.

I feel as if I have slept with Phil Jackson . As you know, we've already become much closer, but now I can visualize what it must be like to roll around unable to sleep after a Lakers loss. And there are those crazy nights when Phil steals the pillow right out from under your head because he thinks it's the ball. I love reporters who are on top of the job and telling us things we don't know, which is why I'm so disappointed in our Lakers scribes. They have only one job in life: to tell us everything about the Lakers.

Amid the tributes and condolences, the lingering sorrow over Jerry Buss' death, now comes the hand-wringing. Lakers fans see Jim and Jeanie Buss in control - no father keeping watch - and wonder if the kids can uphold a winning legacy. Jeanie has already won respect with her intelligence and candor, but has previously focused on the business side of the franchise. Will she - as Magic Johnson has advocated - exert more influence on basketball matters? And what about Jim? The son has been a constant lightning rod for criticism, outsiders guessing at what role he played in controversial decisions such as the hiring of Mike D'Antoni over Phil Jackson.

The most powerful female sports executive in the country was sweating profusely in the wilds of Montana, part of a month-long vacation at her boyfriend's lakeside retreat. During an afternoon outing picking huckleberries, she found herself playing a role--a sort of Beverly Hillbilly in reverse--that didn't come naturally, though she was coping.

On farewell day, they waved until their hands hurt. Kobe Bryant pleaded for Lakers management to pay millions to Dwight Howard, millions to Pau Gasol, millions for the luxury tax, anything to keep the Lakers together for the final year of his contract. "It's a lot on the table for them . . . it's a tough call to make," Bryant said. "But then again, it is one more year . . . it's one more year. " Mitch Kupchak confirmed the Lakers still want to re-sign Howard, then pleaded for him to make his decision quickly so they can figure out if they can keep Kobe happy.

Feeling better and fairly mortified that a night out Tuesday would become such a spectacle, Jerry Buss returned to the business of running the Lakers on Wednesday. Buss, who apparently suffered a pinched nerve in his neck while attending the Carousel of Hope Ball at the Beverly Hilton, was released from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center early Wednesday morning after undergoing several tests, team officials said.

Tuesday night at Staples Center the term "clock management" took on a whole new meaning when Swiss luxury watch brand Hublot was announced as the official timekeeper of the Los Angeles Lakers. The brief pre-game ceremony -- which involved the presentation of a wristwatch-shaped wall clock to Lakers Executive Vice President Jeanie Buss by Hublot Chief Executive Ricardo Guadalupe at center court -- marks the start of the brand's five-year sponsorship of the NBA team. Earlier that day, Guadalupe told All the Rage that the deal, which will eventually include some kind of brand presence at Staples Center, affords Hublot both exposure to an arena full of potential customers and the opportunity to provide Lakers-related perks (things like game seats and player access)

Phil Jackson and Laker owner Jerry Buss had dinner earlier in the week at Buss' Playa del Rey home, where they talked about Jackson's recent trip to Australia, relived a few old times and perhaps buried a hatchet or two. One important question did not come up. "They did not discuss the coaching situation," Laker spokesman John Black said. Jackson was there with his longtime girlfriend, Laker executive Jeanie Buss, Jerry's daughter.