SOURCE: NO MEETING BETWEEN PHIL, KOBE.

Byline: Ross Siler Staff Writer

No meeting has been set up between Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant, and no official contact still has been made between the Lakers and Jackson concerning their coaching vacancy, a source said Tuesday.

Jackson and his representatives met Monday in Los Angeles with New York Knicks president Isiah Thomas and could sit down with additional teams in the coming weeks before meeting with the Lakers, should such a meeting take place.

An ESPN report Monday that Bryant and Jackson would meet later this week came as a surprise to the principals involved. Jackson has had informal conversations with several Lakers officials during his regular visits to the team's practice facility in El Segundo the past two months.

But Jackson and Bryant have not talked, and building a bridge between them is seen as key if Jackson is to return. Bryant has said he would ``roll with it'' if the Lakers brought back Jackson and that he would be ``open-minded'' to working with his former coach.

After Jackson taped a television interview in March, Bryant said: ``If he wants to come at me after the season, we'll talk.''

Negotiations are still ongoing, meanwhile, for Bryant to serve as a guest analyst on TNT alongside Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith during the playoffs.

Jeff Pomeroy, Turner Sports spokesman, said Bryant likely wouldn't be in the studio this week but could be part of the network's coverage multiple days next week. This is the first time in Bryant's career the Lakers failed to make the playoffs.

In other news, the Lakers will work out 7-foot-8, 360-pound Chinese center Sun Ming Ming on Friday. The Clippers also are expected to attend. The 21-year-old Sun, considered a project, has played organized basketball for only four years.

Ross Siler, [phone]

ross.siler(at)dailynews.com

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