Lakers Notebook: Parker, not likely to return, clarifies rift with coach
Smush Parker has been called a lot of names over the years.
First, there was his given name, William. Then he picked up his father's old nickname, Smush Parker. Years later, he earned another nickname -- "The Grim Reaper" -- as a playground legend on New York City's toughest courts.
But this season the journeyman point guard picked up a few unflattering ones -- distraction, disruption, problem child -- and more than a few fingers pointed at him as he publicly feuded with Coach Phil Jackson.
Friday, on what was likely his final appearance at the Los Angeles Lakers' training facility, Parker offered a few words of clarification.
''The situation between me and Phil Jackson was blown out of proportion," said Parker, who will become a free agent after the NBA Finals. "I really didn't have a problem with Phil Jackson.
"Everybody knows that Phil Jackson has a lot of layers. ... He's the Zen Master, but not everybody in here believes in Zen.
"I like Phil Jackson. I love him as a coach. He's a good guy. All I said was I stopped trying to figure out why he did certain things. It wasn't that I didn't like him or his coaching style. I wasn't trying to figure him out, I was just trying to play for him and be the point guard he wanted me to be.''
By the end of the season, Jackson had decided that Smush Parker wasn't his starting point guard anymore. After starting Smush Parker every game for the past two seasons, Jackson inserted rookie Jordan Farmar into the starting lineup with two games left in the regular season.
Smush Parker said that he discussed that, and the reasons for his sometimes erratic play, with Jackson and General Manager Mitch Kupchak at his exit interview.
"Some days I lost motivation, it wasn't fun," he said. "The game wasn't fun anymore. I love to play basketball and at times I felt like I wasn't able to do so.
"The Los Angeles Lakers definitely gave me a great opportunity. ... They allowed me to show not only the world, but the NBA, that I could play at this level. I did what I could (with the opportunity). There are some things I could've done better, then there were things I had no control over."
Mihm feeling good
Chris Mihm jogged on a treadmill for the first time since having season-ending surgery on his right ankle in November and said he's on track to resume all basketball activities by July 1. Mihm will become a free agent this summer and indicated that he'd like to remain in Los Angeles.
His plan is to assess his market value first and then decide what kind of contract he's looking for. Because of the ankle injury, Mihm admitted that he might have to sign a shorter contract and prove he's fully recovered.
"Any time you miss a season, there's going to be questions," he said. "I understand that's going to come. I just want to be ready to prove to people that the surgery was necessary to repair something that wasn't going to heal."
Bermuda Triangle
Kobe Bryant still believes in the triangle offense, but he admitted Friday there were times this year that the team seemed lost when it came to running it.
"It's funny. This year when we played the Spurs, Robert (Horry) and I had a chance to talk a little and he was like, `How's it going?' I said, 'What do you think?'
"He was like, 'It looks like you guys are kind of running the Bermuda Triangle.'
"I said, `Yeah, the guys are struggling with it a little bit.' "
Smush Parker has been called a lot of names over the years.
First, there was his given name, William. Then he picked up his father's old nickname, Smush. Years later, he earned another nickname -- "The Grim Reaper" -- as a playground legend on New York City's toughest courts.
But this season the journeyman point guard picked up a few unflattering ones -- distraction, disruption, problem child -- and more than a few fingers pointed at him as he publicly feuded with Coach Phil Jackson.
Friday, on what was likely his final appearance at the Los Angeles Lakers' training facility, Parker offered a few words of clarification.
''The situation between me and Phil Jackson was blown out of proportion," said Smush Parker, who will become a free agent after the NBA Finals. "I really didn't have a problem with Phil Jackson.
"Everybody knows that Phil Jackson has a lot of layers. ... He's the Zen Master, but not everybody in here believes in Zen.
"I like Phil Jackson. I love him as a coach. He's a good guy. All I said was I stopped trying to figure out why he did certain things. It wasn't that I didn't like him or his coaching style. I wasn't trying to figure him out, I was just trying to play for him and be the point guard he wanted me to be.''
By the end of the season, Jackson had decided that Smush Parker wasn't his starting point guard anymore. After starting Parker every game for the past two seasons, Jackson inserted rookie Jordan Farmar into the starting lineup with two games left in the regular season.
Smush Parker said that he discussed that, and the reasons for his sometimes erratic play, with Jackson and General Manager Mitch Kupchak at his exit interview.
"Some days I lost motivation, it wasn't fun," he said. "The game wasn't fun anymore. I love to play basketball and at times I felt like I wasn't able to do so.
"The Los Angeles Lakers definitely gave me a great opportunity. ... They allowed me to show not only the world, but the NBA, that I could play at this level. I did what I could (with the opportunity). There are some things I could've done better, then there were things I had no control over."
Mihm feeling good
Chris Mihm jogged on a treadmill for the first time since having season-ending surgery on his right ankle in November and said he's on track to resume all basketball activities by July 1. Mihm will become a free agent this summer and indicated that he'd like to remain in Los Angeles.
His plan is to assess his market value first and then decide what kind of contract he's looking for. Because of the ankle injury, Mihm admitted that he might have to sign a shorter contract and prove he's fully recovered.
"Any time you miss a season, there's going to be questions," he said. "I understand that's going to come. I just want to be ready to prove to people that the surgery was necessary to repair something that wasn't going to heal."
Bermuda Triangle
Kobe Bryant still believes in the triangle offense, but he admitted Friday there were times this year that the team seemed lost when it came to running it.
"It's funny. This year when we played the Spurs, Robert (Horry) and I had a chance to talk a little and he was like, `How's it going?' I said, 'What do you think?'
"He was like, 'It looks like you guys are kind of running the Bermuda Triangle.'
"I said, `Yeah, the guys are struggling with it a little bit.' "
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