<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">EL SEGUNDO - There was no rocking chair waiting for him in the press room, no Rolls-Royce sitting just outside the door in the parking lot. The return of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to the Lakers would come with considerably less ceremony than his retirement as a player. Now old enough, by his own admission, to be a grandfather, Abdul-Jabbar was welcomed back to the Lakers on Tuesday as a special assistant coach, entrusted with the development of high school center Andrew Bynum, the team's first-round draft pick. It will be the opportunity the 58-year-old Abdul-Jabbar has long been awaiting, a chance to prove himself as an NBA coach. Even if the player with whom he will be working was still in diapers when Abdul-Jabbar made the final stop of his farewell tour in 1989. He was asked Tuesday if the offer to rejoin the Lakers, the organization he and Magic Johnson led to five championships in the 1980s, came as a surprise after years in which Abdul-Jabbar went so far as the minor-league Oklahoma Storm in search of a coaching job. "I was kind of shocked, it's been awhile," Abdul-Jabbar said. "But I think the timing was right because they have the type of player that could benefit the most from what I know. "So far, from my experience today, it feels like a good fit. He's a great kid and I'm sure that he will learn quickly." Abdul-Jabbar went straight from the practice court to the television cameras, wearing a white Lakers shirt. He will work with the team's big men - and Bynum in particular - at next month's training camp and all home practices this season. It was only two months ago that Bynum, who won't turn 18 until Oct. 27, boasted of bringing back Abdul-Jabbar's famed sky hook after the Lakers selected him. They didn't work on the shot Tuesday, but Abdul-Jabbar noted Bynum's words on draft night. "That's when my hopes went up because I know that I can help him do that," Abdul-Jabbar said. "He'll be a good student and I'm sure that the Lakers will be happy with the progress he makes." Bynum's agent, David Lee, added, "I guess fate has certain things in store for Andrew." </div> Source <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Also: The Lakers made official Tex Winter's hiring as a consultant and signed guard Devin Green, who led their summer-league team in scoring. ... Kobe Bryant, Sasha Vujacic, Von Wafer and Bynum all worked out Tuesday. </div>
