<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Phil Jackson saga appears to be entering its final stages, with Jackson trying to set up a meeting with Kobe Bryant as early as next week and possibly making a decision about his future before the start of the NBA Finals, according to sources. Although the Lakers have played down Bryant's role in the hiring of a new coach, with owner Jerry Buss saying the superstar guard would be consulted but not be part of the decision-making process, the meeting with Jackson is said to be critical. If Jackson and Bryant are able to reach an understanding about working together, Jackson could be close to returning as Lakers coach. If not, Jackson could rejoin the organization in a front-office capacity, a source said. Whether that would be as a team vice president or a consultant has not been determined. The Lakers offered Jackson a similar role last summer after he was not brought back as coach, but he was not interested at the time. Such a position also could come with Jackson electing to take another year off and deciding afterward whether he wants to return to coaching. Bryant's agent, Rob Pelinka, did not return several messages this week. The NBA Finals are set to begin June 9 but could be moved up by two days. Jackson is expected to have some public comment around then. The negotiations between Jackson and the Lakers have been complicated, to say the least. One source last week called it a "done deal" that Jackson would return, and another source said this week that all options still are being considered. At the NBA's Draft Lottery on Tuesday night, Jeanie Buss, the Lakers' executive vice president of business operations and Jackson's longtime girlfriend, predicted he would be coaching in the league next season. "I don't know where he's going to end up, but he hasn't ruled anything out," she told reporters. "So that makes me think that he will be making a decision sooner than later." Jerry Buss is vacationing in Europe, but sources said he had a substantive meeting with Jackson on May 13, before he left. The next night, Jackson said at a fundraiser in Beverly Hills that he was considering the Lakers' job. If Buss' interest in bringing back Jackson was issue No. 1, then Bryant's willingness to play for Jackson is No. 1A, as many have speculated all along.</div> Source
