PHIL JACKSON TO RETURN TO LAKERS!

The Los Angeles Lakers' commitment to sign the mercurial Ron Artest would appear to make retaining Phil Jackson even more imperative than the team believed when the NBA's free-agent period began. It shouldn't be a topic of discussion much longer. Jackson's presence on the bench next season, according to one NBA coaching source, is "99.9 percent" assured, with another source indicating that Jackson's return will be publicly confirmed by the Lakers by early next week at the latest. Sources said Jackson returned to his offseason home in Montana on Wednesday after completing a positive series of medical check-ups following the Game 5 victory in Orlando on June 14 that clinched the 15th NBA title in franchise history. In a recent radio interview with 710 ESPN Los Angeles, Jackson said his 2009-10 status would be made official by... [read full story]                    

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