The hoops career of Rudy Tomjanovich took an unexpected turn this afternoon with the revelation that the two-time world champ is resigning as Lakers coach, just a half season into a lucrative 5 year pact.

Tomjanovich, reportedly suffering from a stomach virus, has faced considerable challenges in the past, amongst them having his face re-arranged by Kermit Washington, a DUI charge and a bout with bladder cancer that helped end his tenure coaching the Houston Rockets. It would probably be grossly unfair to say that Rudy is yet another Hall Of Famer that would sooner leave than share a locker room with Kobe Bryant, just as it would be unfair to wonder if Larry Brown has ever dreamed of coaching an LA team that wasn’t owned by Donald Sterling. But there you go, life’s unfair like that.