Damage control has to start somewhere, and this was as good a place as any.

The Los Angeles Lakers took the first step toward rebuilding yesterday by rehiring former coach Phil Jackson, who led the team to three championships at the start of the decade. A year ago this week, Jackson was let go by the Lakers after they lost to the Pistons in the NBA Finals, and the Lakers’ juggernaut that had won four Western Conference championships in five years subsequently crumbled.

Jackson’s departure was quickly followed by more bad news. The Lakers traded Shaquille O’Neal and Gary Payton, Karl Malone retired, and Kobe Bryant’s ego ballooned to Everest-size proportions, all of which resulted in a trip to the lottery this season. It wasn’t just that the Lakers weren’t good in 2004-05 – they were a mess. Nobody cared enough to play defense, Bryant was openly padding his own stats, and his teammates (most notably Chucky Atkins) resented it.

Of course, hiring Jackson won’t be a quick fix, not with Shaq in Miami. For starters, there are major off-court concerns, starting with Jackson’s health. The Zen Master had an angioplasty two years ago and underwent a series of tests before accepting the job. The Lakers obviously were concerned after what happened with Jackson’s replacement, Rudy Tomjanovich, who had to step down after just half a season due to health problems.

Jackson’s relationship with Bryant also is cause for concern, especially after Jackson criticized Bryant’s selfishness in his book, “The Last Season.” Bryant showed little enthusiasm for the idea of Jackson returning, although he didn’t publicly object. Perhaps he realizes he needs Jackson to salvage his reputation after what happened last year.

Bryant’s durability should also worry the Lakers. While he’s still a first-rate talent, his play dipped considerably in 2004-05 after off-season knee surgery. One wonders if the wear and tear on his knees is starting to add up. Bryant also needs to cure his penchant for taking the most difficult shot possible in order to draw oohs and ahhs from the crowd.

Beyond Bryant, the Lakers are thinner than Lindsay Lohan before breakfast. They have only five players worth discussing – power forward Lamar Odom, center Chris Mihm, small forward Caron Butler, center Vlade Divac, and reserve big man Brian Cook. Of those, only Odom is a star, and Divac may not play again because of a back problem. The rest of the roster is pure dead wood, and lacks both quality size and a decent point guard.

Little help is on the way, because L.A. is well over the salary cap and, as a lottery team, is no longer such an alluring destination that veterans like Malone and Payton will take pay cuts to play there. The Lakers have a high draft pick to help replenish their talent base, but this is a weak draft and their most likely pick, point guard Raymond Felton, may need some seasoning before he can be a major contributor. Plus, L.A. will be competing in a loaded Western Conference in which 12 of the other 14 teams have legitimate playoff aspirations, leaving little margin for error.

If Jackson was hungry for a challenge, he’s got one. Nevertheless, I expect to see a real improvement from the Lakers this coming season and wouldn’t be shocked if they had a winning record. The team played virtually no defense last season, especially under the bumbling reign of interim coach Frank Hamblen, and that’s not something Jackson will tolerate. What’s more, he has proven more adept at winning without a point guard than most coaches; none of his championship teams in Chicago or L.A. had a star player at the position.

Besides, the Zen Master’s track record is too outstanding to dismiss. While some criticize Jackson for riding the coattails of Michael Jordan and O’Neal to nine championships, that dismisses what Jackson did the year he coached without Michael or Shaq. It was with the Bulls in 1993-94, and all Jackson did was win 55 games and take the Knicks to seven games in the second round. In fact, Bulls fans will argue that it was Hue Hollins’s questionable call (sorry Knicks fans) that allowed New York to win Game 5 of that series.

No one should expect L.A. to win 55 games this year, of course. Other than Jordan, those Bulls still had the nucleus of a three-time championship team. By comparison, the Lakers have been completely gutted since winning their third title – Bryant, Slava Medvedenko, and Devean George are the only players remaining. The Zen Master’s second tour in L.A. is more about righting a past wrong than restoring L.A. to its former glory. But it’s still a great start on the path back to respectability.