Phil Jackson

Jeanie Buss couldn't help but laugh. She's been Phil Jackson's longtime companion, yet she says she doesn't even know how much he'd want to coach in the NBA again. "I can't answer that question," said Buss, the 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 after Coach Mike D'Antoni recently resigned. Jackson won 11 NBA championships, six with the Chicago Bulls and five with the Lakers.

The genius behind Phil Jackson didn't just involve how he won 11 NBA championships. Or how he convinced superstars such as Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant to buy into team concepts. Jackson also marked his coaching success and increased his mystique by his way with words. He zinged players, reporters and referees alike. Jackson often expressed his opinion on any hot topic around the NBA. And he frequently took digs at opposing team's star players during the playoffs in hopes that would alter their focus.

TMZ.com caught up with former Lakers Coach Phil Jackson recently in Santa Barbara. Jackson, seen walking casually to his car, spoke about his recent interaction with the Lakers prior to the Mike D'Antoni hire. "We never discussed any terms, so there was never anything there," said Jackson. The Lakers and Jackson had a conversation about the open position after the Lakers fired Mike Brown, but the team hired D'Antoni. "It was just midnight, kind of coup," said Jackson.

Phil Jackson has been away from the NBA for a year already. Hard to believe -- maybe because he really hasn't gone away. Sure, he's no longer the coach of the Lakers or the Bulls ... or any other NBA team for that matter. He's not associated with any organization at this point, and seems to be keeping busy as a corporate spokesperson in various commercials. But it's Jackson's name that hasn't gone way. Pretty much every time there's an opening on a team, or even when there really is no opening but just some wishful thinking, Jackson's name pops up -- at least on blogs, talk radio, etc. The latest rumor, reported Thursday by the Orlando Sentinel, involved Jackson showing interest in but then backing out of joining the front office of the Orlando Magic.

Phil Jackson has kept mostly a low profile during his post-retirement life. He's spent time at his lakeside home in Montana and Jackson has lived with his longtime companion, Lakers Executive Vice President Jeanie Buss, in Los Angeles. But as far as attending Lakers games and appearing in the public spotlight? He's mostly stayed out of it. Jackson emerged from his meditative state, however, during a radio appearance Friday on ESPN Chicago's Waddle and Silvy. Naturally, he was peppered about the Lakers, most notably what will mark Mike Brown's biggest challenge in handling a star-studded roster featuring Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol and Metta World Peace.

New York Knicks Coach Mike D'Antoni resigned Wednesday amid building frustrations between himself and the team's star player Carmelo Anthony. D'Antoni and Anthony had different ideas regarding how the offense should be run, and after the Knicks sunk to 18-24  as of Wednesday morning, D'Antoni decided to walk away. Assistant Coach Mike Woodson will take over the helm on an interim basis.  This leaves the question, who will eventually fill the hole? Is there a chance that Phil Jackson will come out of retirement for one last coaching stint?

"Know why General George C. Patton was so smooth? He never panicked. My man Patton was a smooth, cigar-smoking, sitting-at-the back-of-the-tent, never-panicking general. That's why he always did well in the war. When your general doesn't panic, the troops don't panic. "Even in Game 7, when we were down to Portland, and Phil was mad, he didn't panic." — Shaquille O'Neal in "Shaq Talks Back" Still applies, doesn't it? Of course, that was written in 2001 when everyone wasn't feuding all the time in Lakers country, just most of the time.

I feel so sorry for Phil Jackson. He was paid $12 million the past two years and now he is holding the Lakers hostage as he decides whether or not to come back. All we keep hearing about is the "grueling" NBA schedule. The last time I checked, Phil wore a suit and pretty much sat during the games. Instead of the media talking about a three-peat in the aftermath of one of the greatest victories in Lakers history, all we hear about is Phil. I for one am sick of it. Stop being a spoiled, petulant egomaniac and make a decision.

Dwight Howard isn't being used properly by the Lakers, according to former Lakers coach Phil Jackson. "They just don't put the ball in the post," Jackson told Jack McCallum of SI.com .  "Yes, Kobe [Bryant] will go in there. But Dwight just doesn't get any touches. They've basically eliminated his assets. " Jackson coached the Lakers to five championships and was in consideration for a third run with the team before Mike D'Antoni was hired to replace Mike Brown. "You want the ball 10 feet away from the basket.