The most likely scenario as of Sunday night, according to team sources, is that Jerry West will indeed rejoin the Lakers as a consultant this summer after becoming a front-office free agent on July 1.

This has been circulating as a possibility since the Lakers' first-round series with Phoenix. Only now, with a public plea from one of his favorite all-time players virtually upstaging the playoffs, it'll be even tougher for West to resist a homecoming.