Lakers blew it when they hired Rudy T

The longest running soap opera in the NBA has us dying for more once again.

With superstar guard Kobe Bryant still sidelined with a sprained ankle for at least a couple more weeks, the fate of the Los Angeles Lakers took another bizarre twist when coach Rudy Tomjanovich announced his resignation Wednesday.

Perhaps a confrontation with Bryant shortly before the ankle sprain began Tomjanovich's downward spiral with the job, maybe not. Clearly, Tomjanovich, 56, takes things so hard and is so intense, the total package of coaching Hollywood's team left him sick and frustrated.

Now the Lakers are left rudderless again.

Tomjanovich was diagnosed with bladder cancer less than two years ago, and resigned as coach of the Houston Rockets at that time. But he has been cancer-free since October 2003, and everyone inside the situation said Tuesday's stunner is not related to the cancer.

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Well, not exactly.

Beating cancer and leading a normal life is one thing.

Becoming coach of the Los Angeles Lakers and coping with Bryant is quite something else.

This is the team owned by the NBA's version of Hugh Hefner — namely Dr. Jerry Buss — who decided the Lakers were better off with Bryant than Shaquille O'Neal and coach Phil Jackson.

Gone was the security of Sheriff Shaq patrolling the post and Jackson's nine NBA championship rings as a coach.

Instead they had Bryant and Tomjanovich.

That's like choosing Urkel and Jim Carrey to cover your back instead of Jim Brown and Dick Butkus.

It's easy to understand why Tomjanovich believed he could make the transition. He battled back from near death to All-Star status 28 years ago when he was nearly killed by the punch thrown by Kermit Washington during a game. And he felt so good after he was told the cancer had been eradicated, of course he wanted to come back. His stock line, "Never underestimate the heart of a champion," while coaching the Houston Rockets to consecutive titles in 1994-95 was at play here.

But that shouldn't have mattered. He wasn't physically nor mentally prepared for the Lakers.  Even before he was sick, Rockets insiders said he had lost his strength and focus as coach and they were desperate to create a graceful exit. His immense popularity notwithstanding, his getting sick was unfortunately the out for both.

That was up to Buss, general manager Mitch Kupchak and others in the Lakers organization to recognize when Jackson walked out the door after the Lakers lost to the Pistons in the 2004 finals. No doubt Magic Johnson wasn't going to cast any doubt on anyone battling back from a disease, but others should have.

Once Bryant's futile pitch to Mike Krzyzewski was rejected, they should have looked to Mike Fratello or George Karl instead of gambling on the guy who had already established a history of burnout and had just recovered from cancer. Conceptually, neither Pat Riley nor Roy Williams could work either, but Buss tried. Obviously, they liked Tomjanovich. Everybody does. He's a wonderful basketball man, a great person to be around, and as genuine as they come.