Just when we thought the Lakers couldn’t possibly provide any more drama, they’ve added an improbable Hollywood twist.

Lakers coach Rudy Tomjanovich resigned his position yesterday, less than half a season after he was hired. Tomjanovich cited health reasons for stepping down and, unlike when Hubie Brown departed Memphis earlier this year, we have no reason to dispute that. The Lakers have played reasonably well this season – on par with expectations, anyway – and have proven surprisingly tough since Kobe Bryant went down with a sprained ankle on January 13.

It may seem odd for health problems to derail a coach who is only 56, but not in this case. Rudy has packed some hard living into that half-century, including a drinking problem, years of chain smoking, a bout with bladder cancer, and a rearranged face courtesy of Kermit Washington. By his own admission, he was suffering from exhaustion and fatigue and, depending on who you talk to, also may have been annoyed by second-guessing in the front office.

Of course, since this is the Lakers, Tomjanovich’s departure isn’t even the interesting part. The body isn’t even cold and already speculation is running rampant as to who the successor might be. Check out some of the names the hooparazzi have dropped thus far:

JIM CALHOUN Despite the carcasses of college-to-pro failures littering the NBA landscape, the Lakers have an affinity for college coaches – they offered the job to Mike Krzyzewski this summer before turning to Tomjanovich. Calhoun has accomplished everything he can as a college coach and the Lakers’ Caron Butler is one of his former players. On the other hand, he’s 62,he’s never dealt with an ego like Bryant’s, and speaks with an impenetrable New England accent.

ROY WILLIAMS While most speculation has focused on Calhoun, Williams may be a more realistic option. If he wins a national title at North Carolina this year, there’s nothing to stop him from making the jump. Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak is a Carolina guy (as is seemingly half the coaching profession), and Williams’s demeanor makes him one of the few college coaches whom you could imagine succeeding in the pros.

ISIAH THOMAS Knicks fans would do cartwheels if this happened, but Isiah reiterated his commitment to the team yesterday. Still, we all know he wants to return to coaching at some point, and with close friend Magic Johnson having some pull in the Lakers’ front office, there’s an obvious connection. Isiah would command Kobe’s respect, as well. In fact, that’s why the Lakers are focusing almost exclusively on “name” coaches – they realize it was a mistake to make Bryant the de facto GM last year and are hoping the new guy can put a leash on him.

MICHAEL COOPER Cooper has coached in L.A. before – Okay, it was the WNBA’s Sparks, but still. He’s also got the old Laker connections working in his favor, and as an added plus he’d be the league’s only coach with white socks pulled up over his knees. Unfortunately, his brief but unimpressive tenure in Denver this year may have ruined his case.

FRANK HAMBLEN Tomjanovich’s assistant has one huge disadvantage: He lacks a recognizable name. But he has one even bigger advantage: a half-season to try out for the job. Kupchak said yesterday that Hamblen would stay on indefinitely as interim coach. If he can get this team into the second round of the playoffs – a tall task – it would be virtually impossible for the Lakers’ front office to push him out. Of course, they might be able to do it if one other guy says he’s interested….

PHIL JACKSON Say it ain’t so! Mere months after the Zen Master trashed Bryant in his book, reports from Tinseltown indicate the two are considering joining forces again. Bryant belatedly realized that running every play through him wasn’t necessarily the most productive way to build a team – Lamar Odom likely agrees – and undoubtedly realizes there were kernels of truth in Jackson’s critique. For his part, Jackson knows the personnel in L.A. and might warm to the idea of returning now that Bryant’s had a closer look at the grass on the other side.

If it happens, it won’t be until next year. Jackson isn’t available immediately because, if you can believe this, he’s vacationing in Australia with Luc Longley. When he returns, Jackson’s contract demands could be too rich for the Lakers’ blood. However, one powerful ally will help Jackson’s case – his girlfriend is owner Jerry Buss’s daughter, Jeanie.

Regardless of who takes the reins, the Lakers face some serious challenges both this year and next. They have no cap space, their frontcourt rotation is a mess unless Vlade Divac can return from back problems, and the only thing saving the backcourt from disaster has been a career year from 31-year-old retread Chucky Atkins.

But they can rely on one undeniable asset – Bryant. You can argue he’s been the biggest disappointment in L.A. this season – not because he hasn’t been good, but because he hasn’t been great. He’s only shooting 40.6% and leads the league with a whopping 4.4 turnovers a game.

Even if Kupchak managed to plug the other gaps, the Lakers won’t join the West’s elite unless Bryant is one of the game’s best three or four players. This year, he’s fallen well short of that mark. His Player Efficiency Rating – my rating of a player’s overall per-minute statistical accomplishments – ranks a paltry 17th at 22.4.

It’s now clear that Kobe Bryant needed the occasional moments of respite provided by Jackson’s the triangle offense. He thought it’d be fun to take the ball to the hole 50 times a game, but it hasn’t worked out that way. Ultimately, that’s the real reason we’re likely to see Phil Jackson back in L.A. But that doesn’t mean things will return to how they were. After all, Hollywood sequels rarely are as good as the original.