LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Phil and Kobe, together again.
Phil Jackson is back with the Los Angeles Lakers following a breakup that took a year to mend, and back to coaching Kobe Bryant -- a player he once called ``uncoachable.''
``This is something I never thought could possibly happen,'' Jackson said Tuesday at a Staples Center news conference. ``It's a pleasure to come back.''
Jackson, who won three championships with the Lakers in five years, was let go last June 18 by owner Jerry Buss -- three days after the team lost to Detroit in the NBA Finals.
The buzz about Jackson's possible return began almost immediately after his replacement, Rudy Tomjanovich, left in February, despite Jackson's book detailing the 2003-04 season in which he made disparaging remarks about the franchise.
Bryant was at the top of that list.
``I think it's a matter of trust, a matter of rebuilding the trust that we had,'' Jackson said of his relationship with Bryant. ``And yes, I have talked to Kobe; he actually called me this morning to congratulate me on the job. And I felt confident that he's confident that we can go forward.''
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ap-bucks-porterfired&prov=ap&type=lgnsMILWAUKEE (AP) -- The Milwaukee Bucks fired head coach Terry Porter on Wednesday after the team had its worst season in almost a decade.
General manager Larry Harris said the team needs to take a new direction.
``My job is to make our team the very best it can be and that often means making difficult decisions such as this one,'' Harris said in a written statement.
The team went 30-52 record last season, Porter's second with the Bucks, and failed to make the playoffs.
LinkThe Portland Trail Blazers stretched the third overall pick as far as it could go.
Looking to move down in Tuesday evening's NBA draft, the Trail Blazers traded the third pick to the Utah Jazz for the sixth overall pick and No. 27 in 2005 and a conditional first-round pick in 2006.
With the trade, Portland has acquired two selections in the first round for the second consecutive year. Last season, it selected point guard Sebastian Telfair with the 13th pick and Russian forward Sergei Monia at No. 23. The Trail Blazers also traded with the New Jersey Nets to obtain the rights to Ukrainian forward Viktor Khryapa, the No. 22 pick.
"Our mission was to make optimum use of the third pick overall," Trail Blazers president Steve Patterson said. "We were able to move down only three spots and gain two additional first-round picks.
"This trade will allow us to continue doing what we started last year, stockpiling young talent. We had three first-round picks last season, and have two first-round selections this year and next, along with all of our second-round picks. But we are not necessarily done making deals today."
Interested in grabbing one of the top point guards in the draft, the Jazz felt it neccessary to move up three spots to select either Illinois' Deron Williams or Wake Forest's Chris Paul.
New Orleans, which sits at No. 4, also is rumored to be taking a point guard.
Portland, which already had Telfair in the fold, was willing to move down because of its interest in Martell Webster, a high school guard out of Seattle Prep.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=22draft&prov=st&type=lgnsWith their second first-round pick, the Denver Nuggets selected Georgia Tech point guard Jarrett Jack 22nd overall as part of a trade.
With the 20th pick, Denver chose North Carolina State guard Julius Hodge. The Nuggets kept Hodge and dealt Jack to the Portland Trail Blazers for the rights to first-round pick Linas Kleiza and second-round pick Ricky Sanchez.
A native of Lithuania, the 6-8, 245-pound Kleiza could provide more depth on the front line. He turned 20 earlier this year.
Kleiza is an inside-outside threat who averaged 16.1 points and 7.5 rebounds as a sophomore this season. He excelled in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, averaging 29.5 points and nine rebounds.
Kleiza was the Big 12 Freshman of the Year last season but is an inch or two shorter and a few pounds lighter than most power forwards in the NBA. His aggressive play is likely to make up for these drawbacks.
Sanchez is a 6-11, 190-pound string bean from Puerto Rico. He is just 17 years old and spent his senior year of high school with Joe Abunassar at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.