This is the first post  in an occasional series of Q&As with a member of Mike Brown's coaching staff. Below is an email exchange with Lakers assistant coach Chuck Person, facilitated through the Lakers' media relations staff. 

During your interview with Coach Brown, what points did you emphasize to him and what questions did he want to know from you?

"The hiring was pretty much immediate because of the relationship I had with Mike working with him in Indiana under Rick Carlisle. He asked me if I wanted to be here and I told him yes because I like the Lakers organization, what this team’s about and what type of players we have moving forward to try to win a championship again in the future."

What was your overall approach to the interview in terms of selling yourself?

"It wasn’t a matter of me selling myself because our philosophies are similar both offensively and defensively. I know what Mike Brown’s approach is to game planning and implementing his system because of his days in San Antonio. Then we worked together in Indiana, so I am familiar with his approach and I can continue to carry those things on while working for him."

What responsibilities has Brown assigned to you? This can range from any opponents he’s put you in charge of scouting or certain team responsibilities. What’s your overall philosophy on those areas you’re going to oversee?

"It will be different from what Phil [Jackson] had us do. Phil gave us each certain teams to scout, where Mike has us each learn the entire league. Our scouting responsibilities will be on a game-by-game basis, we’ll just rotate it that way. In terms of personal assignments, we are just going to coach the team. All coaches are required to know both sides of the ball; obviously we have our different strengths we bring to the table. My strength is on the defensive side of the ball. The system we are going to implement will be similar to last season because it’s a system I learned from Mike Brown. So there won’t be much change in the defensive philosophy."

Frank  Hamblen, one of Phil Jackson's top assistant coaches with the Lakers and Chicago Bulls, has been mentioned as a possible candidate to be an assistant coach with the Indiana Pacers, according to NBA officials.

Frank Vogel, who took over the Pacers job during the regular season and is the leading candidate to become the full-time coach, has been told by management that he has to change his staff and hire three new assistant coaches, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Hamblen would be interested in a job with the Pacers, according to an NBA official.

Hamblen and the rest of the Lakers' staff are not expected to be a part of new Lakers Coach Mike Brown's staff.

Hamblen was the longest-tenured assistant coach in the NBA. He spent the last 12 years with the Lakers and was a part of all five NBA champions.

Hamblen is from Terre Haute, Ind.

 

-- Broderick Turner

This is the second post in an occasional series that features a Q&A with a member of the Lakers organization. Below is a recent conversation with Lakers assistant coach Frank Hamblen, who's in charge of game preparations for contests against Boston, Miami, Detroit, Milwaukee, Clippers, Utah and Denver.

Phil mentioned during training camp that, assuming this is his last season, he hoped one of his assistants would be considered to replace him. If the Lakers came up to you, would you be interested in that position?

At this point in my career, no. I've taken over teams twice on an interim basis. It's a tough thing to do. At my age, I'll be 64 in April, I would think they'd want to go with somebody young. At one time, I thought I'd get an opportunity, but it didn't work out. That's OK. I had a great run.

What point were you referring to when you thought you'd get an opportunity?

When I was in my 40s and late 30s, I thought I'd get an opportunity. But it didn't happen. But that's OK.

Presuming this is Phil's last season, do you see yourself remaining an assistant here?

I still want to work another few more years. Hopefully it will be here. Hopefully one of the other guys on the staff does get the job. I think each and every one of them would do a good job. I know it's not probable, but I would like to see Phil stick around another year or two. I don't think he will, but I didn't know if he would stick around for this year, so there's always a possibility.

Knowing Phil pretty well, is that something you try to plant in his ear?

It's too early (smiles). Too early. Too early in the season to do anything. I know Jeanie [Buss] will be working on him though.

And then once the season ends, you'll get in his ear?

Yeah. I'll ask him, "What are you going to do in Montana once basketball season starts? You're supposed to be in training camp. But if you're in Montana, what are you going to do?"

You watch the College World Series with Phil a lot [Hamblen lettered in baseball at Syracuse]. Is that an option for him?

I really enjoyed baseball. Phil and I [watch it on TV]. We always threaten when we're old and retired, we'll go to Omaha and go to the College World Series, eat some hot dogs and drink some beer. I'm looking forward to it. We both played a lot of baseball. We talk a lot about baseball.

Mitch [Kupchak] has described your demeanor and approach to coaching as being level-headed. Phil has remarked about your knowledge and preparation with the teams you're in charge of scouting. In those two respects, what's your approach?

I try to treat people the way I want to be treated when we deal with our players. That's been my philosophy all along. Alex Hannum, my first coach, told me to keep my mouth shut and my eyes and ears open when I went out scouting. I've done that throughout my career. ... As far as when it's my team, I try and get in the other coach's head and what he'll try to do against us. How would he try to approach going against us. We all watch a lot of film. I want to know what he's going to run off a timeout, what he's going to run in a close ball game, so I'm prepared to tell the head coach, Phil in this case, what I think our opponent is going to run.

There's no such thing as an NBA off-season, especially when the Lakers' title run immediately follows with a championship parade in downtown L.A., exit interviews, the NBA draft and soon enough, free agency. The Lakers' likely won't produce another memorable off-season, such as Kobe Bryant's radio tour or Lamar Odom's prolonged negotiations. And it likely won't catch the nation's attention, as say, where LeBron James ends up. Still, there are plenty of things the team must deal with once free agency begins Thursday.

The first order of business involves Coach Phil Jackson, who said during his exit interview that he's leaning toward retirement, a sentiment he reiterated in Montana on Sunday after giving the keynote speech at the Western Governors' Assn. annual meeting. Still, he's not expected to officially make a decision until later in the week after he receives results from the medical tests he took last week that caused him to miss the championship parade. 

Although the Lakers' core -- Bryant, Odom, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Ron Artest -- are locked into long-term deals, they have several free-agents, including guard Derek Fisher. It appears the team unanimously wants Fisher back. Lakers guard Shannon Brown recently opted out of his contract, though the Lakers own his "early-bird" rights. Guard Jordan Farmar made it abundantly clear he wants out of L.A. And if it were up to D.J. Mbenga, Adam Morrison and Josh Powell, they'd remain Lakers, though The Times' Broderick Turner recently talked to an NBA executive who said the team doesn't plan to keep any of those three players. There's the interesting revelation, as reported by The Times' Mark Heisler, that said the Lakers are considering dumping Odom's salary a season after re-signing him to a four-year deal worth $34 million with a player option in the final season. And there's the contention from General Manager Mitch Kupchak that the team's most urgent need involves the backcourt.

The Lakers will answer at least some of these questions this week, but in the meantime, it's best to hear what fans of the L.A. Times' Lakers blog think will happen. After all, they live and breathe this team. And they'll be the first to attest that there is no such thing as a Lakers' off-season. Based on the poll results below, I'll then follow up with an analysis piece assessing how Lakers fans think everything will transpire once free agency begins.

Lakers links

--The Times' Mike Bresnahan details Ron Artest's criticism of Lakers Coach Phil Jackson via Twitter.

--The Times' Broderick Turner gets insight from assistant coach Frank Hamblen on the keys to Game 3.

--The Times' Diane Pucin has all the details on how the Lakers fared in the TV ratings.

--The Times' media critic James Rainey puts Kobe Bryant to task for not owning up to the photo shoot.

--Many of The Times' readers apparently aren't thrilled with Bryant's new look.

--The Orange County Register's Janis Carr explains why the Lakers will face plenty of challenges in Game 3 Saturday night against Utah.

--NBA.com's Scott Howard-Cooper details how Andrew Bynum is managing to overcome his injuries.

--Fox Sports answers a few questions about the Lakers-Jazz series.

--ESPN Los Angeles' Brian Kamenetzky explains why the Lakers appear on an uptick.

--The Orange County Register's Jeff Miller wonders if the Lakers are ready for the Jazz in Salt Lake City.

--ESPN Los Angeles' Dave McMenamin has an interesting Q&A with Lakers guard Derek Fisher.

--The Riverside Press Enterprise's Gregg Patton details why the Lakers have appreciated Artest's presence.

--The Daily News' Elliott Teaford details the ambiguous answers Artest provides regarding his postings on Twitter that criticized Jackson.

--Lakers.com's Mike Trudell highlights Fisher's perspective on what makes Phil Jackson such a great coach.

--Forum Blue and Gold's Darius previews Game 3.

--Silver Screen and Roll's DexterFishmore imagines what life would be like if the Lakers had Chris Bosh.

Jazz links

--ESPN.com's Kevin Arnovitz details what Utah needs to do in order to bounce back in Game 3.

--The Deseret News' Tim Buckley reports that it's not clear what Andrei Kirilenko's role will entail in Game 3.

--The Deseret News' Jody Genessy highlights Deron Williams' belief that he may need to freelance out of Sloan's system.

--The Salt Lake Tribune's Kurt Kragthorpe compares Jerry Sloan and Jackson.

--The Salt Lake Tribune's Michael C. Lewis believes the Jazz can win Game 3, but that doesn't mean it can win the series.

--The Salt Lake Tribune's Steve Luhm details how Paul Millsap has held his own against the Lakers' front line.

--The Salt Lake Tribune's Gordon Monson tackles the question on what makes EnergySolutions Arena such a hostile environment.

--The Salt Lake Tribune's Ross Siler reports Kirilenko and Millsap will come off the bench. Siler also details how the Jazz plan to take the Lakers out of their comfort zone in Game 3.

--NBA.com's Sekou Smith argues Utah is going to have a difficult time bouncing back in this series.

Tweet of the Day: "I think I have the best coach. But that doesn't mean I want to find out in media that I need to be more aggressive or should not take ... Corner threes. rather he tell me personally and direct. I found out about his comments from my friends. But that's yesterday. Game 3!" -- RONARTESTCOM (Lakers forward Ron Artest).

Reader Comment of the Day: "Ron Ron plays hard every time and brings a lot to this team's defense with his toughness but he needs to voice his problems without asking the coach to "close his yapper" -- LakersRule(Amit)

--Mark Medina

Follow the L.A. Times Lakers blog on Twitter. E-mail the Lakers blog at mgmedin@gmail.com

Photo: Lakers guard Kobe Bryant dunks over Utah guard Deron Williams in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Tuesday. Credit: Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times.