Vladimir Radmanovic makes Phil Jackson's short list of characters he's coached

Vladimir Radmanovic was back in town, making it the perfect time to ask Phil Jackson who would be atop the list of characters and flakes he has coached.

Jackson has seen quite a few, most famously Dennis Rodman and most recently Ron Artest, with Radmanovic definitely in the mix for top-five consideration.

"I've got a couple on this team that have a chance to make it," Jackson said Sunday. "[Artest] is an interesting, very interesting, player. Sasha [Vujacic] is an interesting person for me. I know he irritates a lot of people. For me, it's kind of humorous."

Artest is the most entertaining player to interview on the Lakers, though Jackson sometimes frowns upon his freelancing on offense. Vujacic manages to annoy teammates (in practice) and opponents with his on-court antics, but Jackson seems almost disappointed he hasn't found more playing time for Vujacic.

"There's a respect we have for Sasha's game. There's something that he does, we'll probably need it during the season," Jackson said. "Right now, with [Shannon] Brown going great and Steve Blake, it's hard for him to get some minutes."

eep down, Jackson said, he respected Artest's work ethic.

"There's some guys that can give a lot of fluff about how much they like to play and how willing they are to be part of a team, but Ron and Dennis, they were great teammates and guys that are interested in winning, and I think that's important," he said.

As for Radmanovic…

Now with Golden State, he was called a "space cadet" by Jackson, who was continually befuddled by Radmanovic's desire to toss up three-pointers incredibly early in the shot clock.

"Definitely, Vlade's one of my favorite sons," he said. "I miss the erratic things he'd do that just would give you a chuckle on the bench."

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The Lakers still want to add a free-agent center after losing reserve Theo Ratliff for at least three to five more weeks.

"We're looking into that and we hope to get something settled this week," Jackson said.

Former Dallas center Erick Dampier wants a guaranteed contract for the rest of the season, but the Lakers hope to sign a player for only a week or two.

Paul Davis, who is playing in Spain, and Jake Voskuhl have also been considered by the Lakers.