Sam Amick, and Jeff Zillgitt

USATODAY

The longer the story of Phil Jackson going to the front office of the New York Knicks drags out, the more it seems Jackson is either trying to extract more money and power from them or parlay his flirtation into a job with the Los Angeles Lakers.

The cards are now on the table in this NBA thriller, rife with secrecy, manipulation, power plays and intrigue involving the most successful coach in league history and two of the league's flagship franchises — one far more successful than the other. Until recently, that is.

Although a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to USA TODAY Sports that Jackson has an agreement in principle to become the Knicks' team president, some of the most powerful men in Laker Land spent much of Wednesday attempting to pull off the seemingly-impossible: come hell or high water, as Lakers star Kobe Bryant likes to say, they want Jackson back. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal is not yet done.

Bryant, true to form, took the final shot in this fourth-quarter effort, attempting to spark an East Coast-West Coast showdown for Jackson's services. And even with the Knicks on the verge of victory, Bryant was hardly alone. Fellow Lakers Legend Magic Johnson, naturally, was there to assist.

Johnson got it started, tweeting "I love Jim & Jeanie Buss, but we need Phil Jackson to be the face of our great organization, the Los Angeles Lakers."

Minutes later, Bryant — who happened to have the floor because of the announcement that his left knee fracture would end his season — went to work, putting the siblings who run the franchise in the spotlight.

In his jam-packed news conference, Bryant was asked how the Lakers could improve as an organization. He immediately focused on Jim Buss, the team's vice president of player personnel, and his sister Jeanie Buss, who is executive vice president of business operations and Jackson's fiancée.

"Well, you've got to start with Jim," Bryant said. "You've got to start with Jim and Jeanie and how that relationship plays out. It starts there, and having clear direction and clear authority. ... It's got to start at the top."

Within the NBA, the widespread belief is that a power struggle between the duo more than a year after the death of their father and team owner Dr. Jerry Buss died is the biggest reason Jackson has not returned. Right on cue, Bryant took the wrecking ball to the dysfunctional dynamic with his pointed words in ways that were too masterful to be coincidental.

When asked about the expected struggles next season Bryant made it clear he had no patience for a rebuilding effort and expected management to find a way this summer to make the Lakers contenders again.

"No, no. no. Nope," Bryant said. "Not one lick (of patience). It's my job to go out there and perform — no excuses for it, right? You've got to get things done. Same thing with the front office. The same expectations they have for me when I'm on the court is the same expectations I have for them up there."

When a question about Jackson was then laid out like a ball on a rack for a three-point shooting drill, Bryant buried it.

"Well, I mean you know how I feel about Phil," he began. "I have so much admiration for him and respect, and have a great relationship with him, so personally it would be hard for me to understand that (losing out on Jackson's services) happening twice. It would be tough. I don't really get it."

Since Jim Buss, who declined comment, took over running the Lakers basketball side in 2011 from his father, they have been wayward. There have been two coaches since the start of the 2011-12 season, followed by a first-round playoff exit last season. This year the Lakers, at 22-42, are on pace to not only miss the playoffs for only the sixth time in franchise history, but to finish with the worst record in the Western Conference.

The Knicks, who finished second in the Eastern Conference last season before falling in the conference semifinals, have slipped this season to just outside the playoff mix, winning less than 40% of their games. So it's clear both teams need the help Jackson can provide.

It still isn't clear how much time Jackson wants to spend in New York, away from Jeanie Buss and the Southern California lifestyle. Jackson and Knicks owner James Dolan have not spoken publicly, so it remains unclear what role Jackson would have with the team. Yet if he can't rejoin the Lakers, the Knicks might be the team for him. Jackson won a title there as a player in 1973 and his admiration of the franchise — the history of the Knicks — is no secret.

It's also possible that, no matter how hard Johnson and Bryant push, there may not be a Lakers job for Jackson and he may decide he can't make it work with the Knicks either.

This much, if little else, is clear: Bryant and Johnson aren't about to give up until the buzzer sounds.