Lakers' Artest addresses issues

When he told the story in a recent interview of sipping cognac inside the locker room at halftime while playing for the Bulls from 1999-2002, Ron Artest made it sound as if he had a miserable experience with a team that won 17 and 15 games in his first two seasons.

Before his first United Center appearance with the Lakers, Artest insisted that wasn't true.

"The Bulls were great," he said. "I think in this building, we lost a lot of games, but I remember the crowd being in every single game. I had a great time here. That energy was unbelievable for me. It was fun."

Asked again about his proposed fight with ex-Bulls center Ben Wallace, Artest said he meant it strictly as a friendly battle.

Wallace helped kick off the infamous brawl in Auburn Hills that night in 2004 with a two-handed shove into Artest's chest.

"The whole thing was never on the court, never in the street. Nothing like that," Artest said. "If we can do pay-per-view - but definitely not on the basketball court.

"It was just something that would be kind of cool but probably will never happen."

No sudden takeover: Phil Jackson has spent more than 20 years coaching Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan. Before Tuesday's contest, he was asked to suggest advice for Derrick Rose's dilemma of whether to distribute to teammates or try to take over games himself.

"He just has to bide his time as a player and feel out what's going on," Jackson said. "You really know the temperament of your team if you're a teammate.

"You know what's permissible and what's not, how to fit in. The role they're trying to put on him, he has to grow into that role; you can't just force it on him overnight."

Jackson on Paxson: Some observers have wondered if Bulls vice president of basketball operations John Paxson would move from the front office to the bench someday to coach the team.

Lakers coach Phil Jackson is not wondering.

"I really wanted him to be in coaching," Jackson said of Paxson. "I thought he had a great mind for the game. He thought he was too combative for it.

"He's a winner. It's just odd that he quit after getting double technicals and getting thrown out of a summer-league game. He said it's beyond him; he didn't want to deal with that part of his personality."

Brown not around: Considering how much turnover the Bulls' roster has endured over the past decade, there aren't a large number of players the team regrets giving up.

One exception is Lakers guard Shannon Brown, a Proviso East High School graduate who barely played for the Bulls after arriving in the 2008 trade with Cleveland that brought Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden to town.

The 6-foot-3 Brown spent a few months in Charlotte, then was traded to the Lakers and became a valued role player. He's averaging 6.4 points in 17.5 minutes and has piled up more than a few highlight dunks.

Would he have been as successful if he stayed with the Bulls?

"Who knows? I think everything happens for a reason," Brown said before Tuesday's game. "I definitely have a lot of respect for the Bulls organization for even giving me a shot, having me on their team.

"But everything worked out how I think it was planned, I guess. I'm now four years in; I'm getting wiser about what the NBA's about."

Bull horns: Magic Johnson watched Tuesday's game from a suite. - Kobe Bryant was the first player to hit 40 points against the Bulls this season. The previous opponent high was 30 by Denver's Carmelo Anthony.