Lakers coach Phil Jackson has said several times that he has an agreement with Trevor Ariza to keep him as a reserve because he feels more comfortable in the role.

"Everybody wants to start," Ariza said Thursday night. "I'm not going to say I didn't, but I figured if I come off the bench everybody would be happy. I'm not fussy, nothing like that. I just want to play. I just want to contribute."

However, Luke Walton approached Jackson about switching roles with Ariza after the team's loss to the Blazers on Monday.

"We talked about it a little bit," Ariza said of a talk with Jackson. "I told him that whatever it takes for our team to win, that's what I'm going to do. That's what I meant by it. It's not anything selfish. It's not anything for my own personal reasons. I'm just really about this team. I want to win.

"I feel we have everything, all the tools we need to win a championship."