LOS ANGELES - At this moment, Phil Jackson is reportedly swimming in the Indian Ocean, somewhere off the coast of Australia, with Luc Longley, who played center for him with the Chicago Bulls. That is not quite as far away from the Lakers as Jackson should position himself, but for now it will suffice.

Yet a fierce undertow is tugging at Jackson to return to Los Angeles and resume his old job with the Lakers. A move like that would defy logic, but sometimes events transpire that make little sense. If you’ve followed the recent dismantling of the Dodgers’ roster, you know just what I mean.

Jackson is ideal for the job in many ways. He enjoys the L.A. lifestyle. He is involved with the owner’s daughter, though that relationship does not seem to be the kind that features a standing date for Saturday night. The fan base adores him. And of all the coaching jobs that could open up, the Lakers’ is probably where he would feel most comfortable.

But in one major way, it’s a bad idea for the Zen Master:

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He won’t win a championship with the current team. And reconfiguring the roster will take two to three years at least, plus a little luck. In that sense, the hiring of Phil Jackson will not be a mistake for the franchise — he is arguably the best coach out there—but because of the dearth of talent, it will largely be window dressing.

The sexiest angle to this whole affair is the relationship between Jackson and Kobe Bryant. It is also the most overblown one. True, Jackson did dump on the kid in his tell-all book (the mere writing of said book is also an issue), but time passes and people change.

That’s not to say there won’t be some initial discomfort. But Kobe and Phil could coexist a lot better this time because of the absence of a certain big man. Kobe’s greatest source of irritation has always been Phil’s insistence on employing Shaq as the No. 1 option in the offense. When owner Jerry Buss exiled Shaq to Miami in order to suck up to Kobe, it removed that obstacle between Phil and Kobe.

Also, Kobe may be headstrong, egomaniacal, selfish and aloof, but one thing he isn’t is dumb. This is somebody who, not long ago, was celebrating a championship three-peat. After experiencing half a season of mediocrity, and also serving as a lightning rod for criticism in the absence of any other high-profile leader on the team, he probably would be delighted to welcome a talented and famous presence like Jackson back into the fold.

But the main problem still exists. These aren’t the Lakers that Phil left. This is a ho-hum collection of talent. And when measured against what’s out there in the Western Conference, it won’t be enough, not even for Phil.

Rather than the experienced hands he had during his five-year tenure before — reliable veterans like Derek Fisher, Rick Fox, Robert Horry, Shaq and Brian Shaw, not to mention Gary Payton and Karl Malone last year — the core of his new team will feature Kobe, Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Chucky Atkins and Chris Mihm.

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They are not bums. They are not slugs. They simply are not enough.

Much has been made locally about Tex Winter’s recent comments. The grand poobah of the triangle offense said he had lunch with Phil recently and Phil commented on how well he believed this current collection could do in his offense. It isn’t clear if Phil was drinking at the time, or in what context those remarks were expressed. Sometimes sarcasm can be so subtle as to be overlooked.

The Lakers are capped out for two more years. This summer, the Lakers will have no flexibility for attracting a significant free agent or two. So Phil will essentially be bringing this same team back to compete in 2005-06.

By then, the Phoenix Suns will be ready to take another step forward in their development. So will the Seattle SuperSonics. The San Antonio Spurs will be as strong, if not stronger. The Minnesota Timberwolves  will certainly be better than they are this year. The Dallas Mavericks and Houston Rockets will be improved. So will the Denver Nuggets.

The presence of Phil Jackson will mean some initial excitement in Los Angeles. And the club will be more successful, because Jackson is a better coach than Rudy Tomjanovich. Yet it’s a move generated out of desperation. It’s like Daniel Snyder bringing in Joe Gibbs, or Jerry Jones hiring Bill Parcells. Yes, those coaches are magnificent. But without talent, it’s a lot of hoopla over nothing.

By the way, if I were Phil, I’d tell Jerry Buss that if he wants him back, he’d better hire a fleet of armored cars, because Buss will need them in order to pay him enough cash to return. Early in 2004, Jackson asked for $10 million a year, knowing he was gone anyway. Naturally, Buss said no.

This is one of those rare moments in business where one person has a gargantuan amount of leverage and the other is like a little Chihuahua standing on his hind legs pleading for table scraps. Phil should ask Buss not only for a piece of the team, but a significant mention in his will. Buss has few, if any, options. If he doesn’t hire Phil, then he’s looking at … well, table scraps.

Right now, Staples Center still sells out, but half the people don’t show up. The celebrities have dwindled to Ashlee Simpson’s no-talent second cousin. I can see why Jerry Buss would want Phil to return. And I can understand why Phil might consider it.

But if Phil has any interest in winning another championship and passing Red Auerbach, he might want to keep swimming — unless the Lakers can persuade him to return with a shocking personnel move, like bringing Shaq back. After all, this owner has become an expert at jumping through hoops to please his stars.