Jackson Surprised by Fine

Laker Coach Phil Jackson apologized to NBA Commissioner David Stern, the Toronto Raptors and anybody else he might have offended with his recent flattery of Raptor forward Chris Bosh.

Not really.

“I stand before you a humbled man, sad, bereaved that it would cost as much for saying as little as I did,” he said dryly. “I’m going to take my penalty and punishment and go to the closet, cry a little bit and come out.”

The Lakers were fined $25,000 Thursday for violating the league’s anti-tampering rule after Jackson said last week that Bosh had become “quite a talent.”

“There are some [players] that will be available [as free agents] in the year following that you obviously have to take a look at, and this kid here is one of them,” he said before the Lakers played the Raptors on Dec. 7.

Jackson said Friday he had never seen Bosh play before that game.

“I was trying to be complimentary to the kid,” he said.

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Laker forward Slava Medvedenko could be out another two months because his back is not recovering quickly, Jackson said.

Medvedenko, who has played only two games because of a herniated disk, does not want to have surgery, but it becomes an option if his back doesn’t respond to therapy.

Medvedenko, injured while pivoting with the ball during drills before a Nov. 9 game against Minnesota, was “two months away from any kind of position to play,” Jackson said.

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Laker draft pick Ronny Turiaf underwent a second day of medical tests Friday, with results expected by Monday.

Turiaf, who had open-heart surgery in July, could begin practicing with the Lakers if he is cleared by team doctors. He has been cleared by the physician who performed the surgery.

“There’s no way that we thought that it would ever be a possibility he would play this season and we’re still thinking that it’s something far off,” Jackson said. “But the more and more we get the medical reports and the more we see him, the more we realize he’s been anxious to play, he’s been cleared [by his attending physician] and there’s a possibility that he may be on the court playing.”