Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson: A Love Story?

LA Times: It’s hard enough to believe Phil Jackson might take the Laker coaching job. However, without a satisfactory meeting with Kobe Bryant, can anyone imagine Jackson coming?

And if Jackson has gone halfway, asking to meet, and Bryant doesn’t want to, as sources told The Times’ Mike Bresnahan, that doesn’t sound too constructive.

To be sure, Bryant is entitled to be angry and Jackson owes him an apology for selling him out in his book. Jackson can’t claim to have been misquoted so it should be something honest such as, “I was really upset at the time.”

Bryant should not worry about getting blamed if he meets with Jackson and Jackson turns the job down. Of course, Bryant would be blamed. He’d also be blamed if he doesn’t meet with Jackson. If he hasn’t figured it out yet, Bryant will be blamed for anything that goes wrong with the Lakers.

His image within the league has been completely trashed. Last week Andrew Bogut, the University of Utah center who isn’t even a rookie yet, dared to rip him, telling the Washington Post’s Mike Wise, “Kobe is probably one of the guys that, everybody knows it, he’s got that cocky arrogance to him, everything has to surround around him the whole time. Otherwise, he doesn’t function.”

The only thing that will save Bryant is winning games, and the only one on the horizon who has a ghost of a chance of helping him do that is Jackson.

The question isn’t how Bryant got to this point, but how he’s going to get out.

Moreover, if they do sit down, Bryant would find that this time it would be different.

Their first time around, Jackson’s primary task was to jam Bryant in line behind O’Neal. This time, Bryant would be Jackson’s first concern.

Take the meeting, Kobe. You need this guy. Otherwise, get ready for more of the same.

What are your thoughts on this conversation between Phil and Kobe? Will Phil be able to bring the best out of Kobe? Sound off on the CL.com Forums!

Sound off in the Lakers Forums!