Los Angeles Lakers Basketball Team

While their coach debates whether to return or retire, the Lakers press onward. They have no choice. The NBA calendar calls for the free-agency period to begin Wednesday at 9:01 p.m. The Lakers might not only lose Phil Jackson and assistant coach Brian Shaw, who is edging closer to becoming Cleveland's head coach, but they also have six free agents on their roster, almost half their team. There are many, many questions. Will they re-sign Derek Fisher and Shannon Brown?

It was a long, laborious negotiation, one that required almost the entire first month of the free-agency period before the deal was done last July. Lamar Odom agreed to stay with the Lakers, re-signing for four years and $33 million, a hefty contract for a sixth man but one that paid out well Monday. Andrew Bynum was insignificant because of a sore knee, but Odom stepped into the mix and delivered 19 points and 19 rebounds in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals against the Phoenix Suns.

When Sasha Vujacic returns, will he be a secret weapon off the bench or continue to shoot astray? The reserve guard said he would be available for the Western Conference finals after sitting out since April 14 because of a severely sprained left ankle, but his regular-season numbers were purely underwhelming — 2.8 points in 8.6 minutes a game, 30.9% from three-point range. Lakers coaches have been saying Vujacic's presence is missed on the court. He'll get a chance to prove it next week.

Reporting from Oklahoma City It was basically an afterthought, the final question after a meaningless game the last week of the regular season, not that it stopped Coach Phil Jackson from answering it candidly. Who was the Lakers' regular-season MVP? "I would have to say the last part of the season would have to be Pau [ Gasol ]," Jackson said. " Kobe [ Bryant ] for the first 50 games, but really the last 30 I think Pau played very well for us." With Bryant ailing, Gasol had to be the Lakers' main threat almost the entire first round against Oklahoma City.

Whew. Whoa. Ouch. Is it over yet? Has the state of Oklahoma finally stopped bellowing? Has Russell Westbrook stopped flying? Has Kevin Durant stopped flopping? It's over. It must be over. The game-winning tip from Pau Gasol trickled into the basket like the blood trickling down his shoulder. The final shot from Westbrook pounded off the front of the rim like Durant later pounded his hands on the hardwood. It's finished, right? The 18,000 Ford Center fans won't leave their seats, the Lakers can't catch their breath, but, yes, it must be done, the scoreboard showing the Lakers clinching a first-round playoff series victory just one breath short of panic Friday in a 95-94 Game 6 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum sat out Thursday's game. Shockingly, the rest of the Lakers didn't join them. The Lakers added a new twist to their late-season swoon, losing a close one to the Denver Nuggets without two starters as Bryant joined Bynum on the list of injured players because of swelling in his right knee. Pau Gasol had 26 points and Ron Artest had 22 as the Lakers almost staged a surprise party before falling, 98-96, Thursday at Pepsi Center. They had a chance to clinch the Western Conference, but Derek Fisher's three-point attempt at the buzzer was blocked by Carmelo Anthony, their solid effort Thursday merely becoming their fifth loss in the last nine games.

Lakers Coach Phil Jackson and his assistants have issues with Sasha Vujacic and as a result, the 6-foot-7 guard has been banished to the bench. Vujacic and assistant Brian Shaw had a face-to-face encounter on the bench during the Oklahoma City game last Friday night after Vujacic said he didn't want assistants yelling at him. It began when assistant Jim Cleamons tried to give Vujacic instructions during the game. Jackson had a 10-minute talk with Vujacic in Houston on Saturday, but Jackson still wasn't happy with Vujacic because he hadn't apologized to Shaw or Cleamons.