Phil Jackson said he told Los Angeles Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and executive vice president Jim Buss that he had "confidence that (he) could do the job" when he met with them about returning to coach the Lakers on Saturday.
Jackson then left the meeting with a hand shake and understanding "that (he) would have until Monday (today) to come back to them with (his) decision."

"The decision is of course theirs to make," Jackson said in a statement. "I am gratified by the groundswell of support from the Laker Fans who endorsed my return and it is the principal reason why I considered the possibility."


"There were no demands, outrageous or otherwise," Musburger said. "To say that he wanted control or that he wanted a zillion dollars or that he wanted equity, those were not topics discussed in the meeting between Kupchak, Buss and Phil. If the Lakers didn't spread those things, the fact they didn't take an affirmative stance to correct the record is very troublesome."

Musburger said that while he respected the Lakers right to hire whomever they wanted as coach, he was disappointed in the way the entire situation unfolded.
"Phil is someone who brought nothing but trophies to their bookcase and value to the franchise," Musburger said. "He deserved to be dealt with honestly.

"He didn't deserve the job, that's their decision. They can hire whoever they wish. But don't say to someone you've got until Monday and then roust him from slumber at midnight to say, 'By the way we hired somebody else.' That's just not fair dealing and Phil deserved fair dealing. He's a good faith person and he was dealt with poorly. It is indicative of the shabby way that organization is being run."

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http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/s...ain-souce-says