In Los Angeles, the Lakers haven't yet decided whether to bring Byron Scott back next season. Sources indicate they intend to meet with Scott once the season ends, before deciding whether to retain him. While general manager Mitch Kupchak may have been noticeably unenthusiastic when asked to assess Scott's performance last month, sources indicate that was simply Kupchak's way of avoiding the question and not adding fuel to the speculation about Scott's future. It was clumsy, but it wasn't intended to be the damning indictment some read it as.
Then there's the question of how long Lakers president Jeanie Buss sticks with Kupchak and president of basketball operations Jim Buss. Both of them are on the clock.
Next year marks Year 3 of the self-imposed three-year deadline Buss gave himself for getting the Lakers back on track. There's some debate about what "back on track" means (Back in the playoffs? Back in the second-round of the playoffs? Conference finals?), but neither he nor his sister have ever wavered from that declaration, despite clamor from inside and outside the organization to speed up the timetable. Kupchak's contract extends beyond that deadline, but it's hard to see him continuing on in his role if Jim Buss were to step down.
If anything, Kupchak will be under just as much pressure as Jim Buss next season. Bryant will be retired, which could be a blessing or a curse. Bryant's farewell tour has blocked out the sun for everyone this season. In some ways, that has made it harder to see how the Lakers' young players are growing. But it's also been something of a shield, masking their flaws and the deficiencies in and around the organization.
Here's where the speculation starts about Jackson returning to L.A. to work for Jeannie, his fiancée, in the role he coveted before he accepted the Knicks job. But sources close to both Jackson and the Lakers insist that's unlikely. He likes his life in New York. He gets to see his lifelong friends and former Knicks teammates Clyde Frazier and Bill Bradley whenever he wants. He has got space and autonomy to operate. He loves the vibrancy of the city and his house on the Upper East Side.
LOSE for a good cause 
