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Rudy T. Resigning?

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Javier:
so phil breaks the locker room code and just like that they will welcome him back with open arms?  U think Jerry buss a bitch?

acbaylove:
I dont know. I think Lakers are without a coach now, cause Rudy just officially resigned.

acbaylove:
Saying he was exhausted by self-imposed pressure to excel, Rudy Tomjanovich resigned as coach of the Lakers today, 43 games into a tenure he hoped would bring him a third NBA title.

Tomjanovich, in the first season of a five-year, $30-million contract, said he had agreed to stay on as a consultant with the team as soon as he has recovered from the stomach virus that prevented him from coaching the last two games.

"I gave it everything I got, and maybe I took on too much," Tomjanovich said during a news conference at the Lakers' training facility in El Segundo. "Nobody put pressure on me but me.

"As time went by, I started to feel my resistance going down. I went from this energetic, pumped up guy, to being sapped of my energy. It seemed like I got deeper and deeper into not feeling good. Why this happened now, and why my body wasn't feeling good, I don't have the answer."

Frank Hamblen, the longtime assistant coach who guided the Lakers to victories over the Charlotte Bobcats and Portland Trailblazers in Tomjanovich's absence, will continue to handle the coaching duties for the foreseeable future. Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak said he felt no sense of urgency to hire a replacement.

Kupchak acknowledged that former Laker Coach Phil Jackson, who led the team to three NBA titles, would be included in the list of possible successors.

"If that's something they want to roll with, I'll roll with it," guard Kobe Bryant said after practice, when asked if he would have any objection to the Lakers bringing back Jackson.

Tomjanovich informed his players of his decision this morning in a tearful meeting. "It was tough," center Chris Mihm said. "To see Rudy like that, you can tell just how much it's been wearing on him. He looked worn down."

Tomjanovich, 56, who had guided the Houston Rockets to two NBA titles, finished his Laker career with a 24-19 record, having been credited with the two victories under Hamblen. The Lakers play host to the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday at Staples Center.

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