Phil's got Vlade's back

There will be no name-calling this year. As funny as it was to watch Phil Jackson take digs at small forward Vladimir Radmanovic in the past, this year at least, Jackson has been nothing but complementary of the player he once called ``a space cadet.''

Tuesday, Jackson refused to answer a question about how solid Radmanovic's place was in the starting lineup because he didn't want Vlade to read it and become worried about his spot.

Wednesday, Jackson praised Radmanovic's shooting ability and laid some of the blame for his somewhat tepid shooting percentage (34 percent) this season on his teammates.

``I think his teammates have to find Vlade in certain positions where he can be effective,'' Jackson said Wednesday after the Lakers practiced. ``That's all team work. he's a great shooter, we all know it. How we set him up is important. He got one real good set up last night and that was about the only (one).''

Here's my read:

Jackson wants and needs this to work because philosophically, Vlade should be the starting small forward who cant stretch a defense and keep opponents from packing it in on Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol. His ability to knock down the 3 also keeps defenders honest, thus creating lanes for Kobe Bryant to penetrate and score.

Right now, it's not a matter of Vlade playing better or harder. He just needs to find a really good rhythm and start flowing. Hence, there's no reason to take pot-shots at him through the media and risk undercutting his confidence.