Dwight Howard has been the center (pun intended) of attention since joining the LA Lakers via trade from the Magic.  And the results have been mixed at best with the Laker just now at the .500 mark with their record.

Dwight has been suffering through some shoulder issues lately as well as trying to fully recover from the back issues he suffered late last year.  So he’s been getting advise from a lot of different sources.  And also from none other them former Laker head coach Phil Jackson.

Phil has had his own back issues, undergoing a spinal fusion in 1969 and having reoccurring issues that keep Phil from traveling with the Lakers on a few road trips as his last stint as coach.

Da Commish’s Take:

Phil Jackson is still making power moves.  Follow me on this:  About a month ago, Phil was publicly critical of how the Lakers where playing and the use of both Howard and Pau Gasol by current coach Mike D’Antonio.  (Remember, when the Lakers gave Mike Brown the boot early in the season, Phil was rumored to be coming back as coach before Lakers hired D’Antonio.)

It’s highly odd for a current or retired coach to be publicly critical of any other coach, much less the former coach talking about the current coach.  But the reason Phil wasn’t hired back as coach was because it was rumored that Jim Buss, son of the late owner Jerry Buss, didn’t like Phil and didn’t like that he was banging his sister Jeanie Buss.

But, now with Jerry Buss passing away, Jeanie, who is not only the vice president of the Lakers but also the governor of the Lakers may be plotting to not only bring Phil Jackson back into the Laker fold, but either back as coach next year or in the front office.

So if you think Phil is being buddy buddy with Dwight because of similar back issues, think again.  Phil is putting the bug in Dwight’s ear now to have his full support if (when) he comes back.