Shaquille O'Neal, speaking to Fox Sports Net on Thursday, offered a measure of contrition for skipping an exit meeting with Kupchak and coach Phil Jackson two weeks ago.

"I didn't go to the meeting, and I'll take the punishment like a man," O'Neal said. "I don't make excuses, and I'll never talk back. I'll never embarrass Phil. I messed up, and when I mess up, I'll always clean up."

The players were expected to meet with the coaches before taking off for the summer. All attended their interviews except O'Neal, Rick Fox, who was undergoing surgery for a foot injury, and Samaki Walker, a free agent who won't be back with the team.

The most challenging offseason of Mitch Kupchak's front-office career will apparently not include entertaining offers to work outside Los Angeles.

More than one NBA team has sought permission to interview the Lakers' general manager. But owner Jerry Buss has declined to grant that permission, a fact the team acknowledged Friday afternoon after repeated media inquiries.

"Mitch has done an excellent job for the Lakers since taking over for Jerry West as general manager three years ago and is an important part of our organization," Lakers spokesman John Black said. "Because of this, we feel it is in the best interests of our team, our franchise and our fans that he remain a Laker, and for this reason we have turned down these requests for permission to speak to him."

Lakers officials declined to name which teams inquired about Kupchak, but his name has been frequently linked to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards also have front-office vacancies, and a handful of other teams -- including Golden State -- are believed to be looking for front-office help.

The new name with Laker management is Gary Payton, who is most definitely not a power forward, but is a free agent, and represents the range of off-season philosophies for a franchise still measuring the magnitude of its recent playoff failure.

The Lakers hope to rework their roster with a combination of their mid-level salary-cap exception (about $4.7 million), the lower exceptions (the highest of which is $1.4 million), trades and draft picks (Nos. 24 and 32).

They expect to do it around Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, cornerstones of an organization that won three consecutive titles but stumbled in this month's Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs, and perhaps with a subtle offensive shift that would emphasize Bryant rather than O'Neal, depending on O'Neal's physical condition come October.

The mid-level exception likely will buy the Lakers a very good power forward or a very good guard, but not both.

The New Jersey Nets have bitter memories of last year's NBA Finals, when they were swept by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Nets completed a sweep of the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals on Saturday night to return to the NBA Finals. This year, they say the outcome will be different.

"We're not just going to the NBA Finals this year, we're going to win it." Martin said. "Jason (Kidd) and I are on the same page and that's what we need.

"We went to the Finals (last year) and we got swept. That's not going to happen this year."

Mychal Thompson, the former Gophers basketball star who has served as the Timberwolves television analyst the past two seasons, has been offered the job as the Los Angeles Lakers radio analyst.

Thompson will meet with Lakers officials in the next few days to discuss the situation. "I just want to see what they are talking about," said Thompson, a former Laker. "You have to leave your options open. A smart man never closes his options."

The Lakers have yet to present Thompson with a financial offer, but the contract would be for three years. He has worked with one-year deals both of his seasons in Minnesota, but said he had no problem with that.

The Lakers opening was created because the team is going away from a simulcast and will have separate television and radio teams next season. The job appeals to Thompson because his family lives in Portland year-round and he would be able to see them more often if he spent the season based in L.A. instead of Minneapolis.

LA needs a credible power forward, and budding stars Elton Brand and Jermaine O'Neal are beyond the team's means. That leaves such players as Juwan Howard, Keon Clark or P.J. Brown. But why not go for the gusto? Why not go for Malone?

He sets brick-wall screens. He is an above-average passer. He makes 15-foot jump shots. He rebounds. He would ruin double-teams. He can defend one-on-one and still moves well enough to play help defense.

Most important, Malone does not take nights off. He approaches every game with intensity and professionalism. And he has a little bit of Harper in him -- old enough to be crotchety, with enough of a resume to back up his flapping gums, unlike Howard, Brown and Clark.

Malone would not sit in the locker room talking about heart. He would look around at the Lakers, and every night the team underachieved, he would say, "This team ain't crap." That's exactly what the Lakers need.

The agent for forward Juwan Howard said his client has not ruled out signing a new contract with the Denver Nuggets. But David Falk expects the Nuggets to make an offer on the first day of the free-agent signing period that is "commensurate" with his client's "value."

"The onus is on Denver," Falk said Monday in a telephone interview. "Denver is the incumbent. They need to give us an offer (July 1) with what they feel he is worth, and we'll evaluate that offer against the other situations."

Falk was quoted in Sunday's Los Angeles Times as saying it would be a "great situation" for Howard to sign with the Lakers. "Not the only situation, but a great one."

Falk said Monday the prospect of signing with a top team such as San Antonio or the Lakers "certainly is appealing," but he stressed Howard has not made any decisions. Howard, who averaged a team-best 18.4 points for the Nuggets this season, can begin negotiating with teams when he becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1. He can't sign officially until July 16.

Phil Jackson will have to wait at least another year if he hopes to coach a record 10th NBA champion, breaking his tie with Red Auerbach, who won nine as coach of the Boston Celtics.

And don't think the old guy with the stogie isn't breathing a sigh of relief.

Interviewed on the Dan Patrick Show on ESPN Radio, Auerbach was asked if he rooted against Jackson and the Lakers.

"Absolutely," he said.

With their three-year reign as NBA champions having come to an end, the Los Angeles Lakers are vowing to make changes. David Falk, the agent for forward Juwan Howard, believes signing his client as a free agent might be a good start.

"The Lakers would be a great situation for him," Falk told the Los Angeles Times on Saturday for an article published Sunday.

"Not the only situation, but a great one. (The Lakers) have to cross some bridges first. Having lost, they need to evaluate."

Howard becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1 after playing the past 1 ? seasons for the Denver Nuggets. He will be free to sign with any NBA team beginning July 16.

We need to talk about this Most Dominant Player thing.

For years, and rightfully so, Shaquille O'Neal has had this title. He seemed to create it for himself, and then we went along with it because he was absolutely correct.

At his best, there is not a more impressive and imposing basketball player. However, Shaq is not at his best right now. And there just might be one player who temporarily deserves to overtake him for the Most Dominant Player title.

Tim Duncan.

Duncan is the MVP and the MDP.