Jerry Sloan hasn't talked to Lakers, says Phil Jackson best fit

• Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan not called by Lakers about coaching vacancy
• Sloan fine with that; he thinks his name was mentioned for convenience
• Sloan says Phil Jackson is best fit for Lakers

LOS ANGELES — When the phone finally stopped ringing Saturday, Hall of Fame coach Jerry Sloan couldn't have been happier to return his quiet existence in his Utah home.

The Los Angeles Lakers may not have called about their coaching vacancy for which he was believed to be considered, but so many others who wondered if he would be the replacement for Mike Brown after he was fired on Friday certainly had. And with all signs pointing to a possible Phil Jackson return, Sloan added himself to the list of people who think that's the hire that makes the most sense.

"I think that's probably a good choice for them," Sloan told USA TODAY Sports by phone. "It doesn't matter what I think, but he would certainly know what's going on there. If somebody else comes in and sees what's going on, it might shock them to death."

The Lakers' 1-4 start clearly had a shocking effect on Lakers management, and the decision was made to part ways with Brown after the early incarnation of this Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash-led team was far from impressive. Yet despite Sloan being considered a candidate for the job, he said the Lakers had not yet reached out to him.

"I haven't talked to anybody (from the Lakers)," Sloan said. "That's what's interesting is that I didn't talk to anybody because it looks like I'm just trying to take every job that comes up and I don't like that. So I'll just keep out of it."

Sloan, who retired so abruptly in Feb. of 2011 after a 23-year run with the Jazz, has grown tired of the perception that he's desperate for a job. While he has expressed a desire to coach again, Sloan - who discussed coaching vacancies with Charlotte and Portland last summer - would prefer to lay low and let opportunities come his way.

"My name gets thrown in there, and it's because of convenience sometimes," he said. "But I've never been that kind of person to campaign for a job. I wasn't going to call (the Lakers) because there wasn't anybody calling to ask about it."

He wasn't calling the Lakers, but he was certainly watching them. As Sloan watched their early season struggles from afar, he wondered how long Brown might last because of the decision to use such a complex new offense - the read-and-react Princeton system.

"If you're going to run an offense, the thing that I see is that it's always difficult to do," Sloan said. "It takes time. It's not an overnight thing. I think people found that out as good as Miami was, how they struggled a little bit (in 2010) and a lot of people were surprised. It takes time for guys to adapt to what's going on, especially if you're going to run an almost exclusively halfcourt game.

"I think the writing was on the wall (for Brown). I watched the game on television here (in their loss against the Jazz) the other night, and it looked like they were just going through the motions with as slow as they were running (the offense)."

According to the Los Angeles Times, the Lakers are meeting with Jackson today but will interview other candidates in case he declines. Former New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns coach Mike D'Antoni is considered the runner-up candidate, though a person close to him told USA TODAY Sports that no meetings had been arranged and that the Lakers are "focused on getting a deal done with (Jackson)." If Jackson takes the job, though, Sloan said this group could still be special.

"It takes a while for great players to come together and realize what they're playing for instead of just themselves," Sloan said. "I don't think anyone can question the talent level that they have, it's just a matter of getting the players together and sometimes it takes longer than people think. It takes a lot of patience."