Grant’s Encore as a Laker Is All About Winning

The Seattle newspaper writers showed up at Staples Center last night, there to talk to Horace Grant about the season he spent with the SuperSonics four years ago.

For a moment, Grant even bought it.

“You had me going there,” he said.

They came to interview Gary Payton, of course, because the longtime core of the SuperSonics will play his first game at KeyArena in a visitors’ uniform on Friday. That’s the story. Not Grant. Never Grant.

Sunday night was Grant’s best offensive output of the season, but that was lost amid the Lakers’ easy 105-82 victory over the Boston Celtics, a shooting breakthrough for Derek Fisher and a milestone for Shaquille O’Neal.

“Did you see me get my 21,000th point?” Grant said, before dropping the charade as if he just realized that it was O’Neal who reached that scoring plateau on a third-quarter dunk.

“Oh,” Grant said in mock disappointment.

Grant was standing in the middle of the Laker locker room, but most of the reporters were divided between Payton and Kobe Bryant, before leaving Bryant and moving past Grant like a school of fish bypassing a pier post to get to O’Neal.

Grant used to crave attention when he was a young player on a Chicago Bull team featuring Michael Jordan . But those days ended 10 years and three teams ago.

“I’m at the stage of my career, it’s all about having fun, working hard and winning championships,” said Grant, a veteran of 16 years. “I made the all-star team one year, I’ve been on championship teams, I made the all-defensive second team a few times.

“At this stage in my career it’s all about doing what the coach needs me to do and having fun doing it.”

The days of averaging 15 points and 11 rebounds are long gone. These days three points, three rebounds and some good help defense every game is enough to please Coach Phil Jackson.

He surpassed that by halftime Sunday night, scoring all 10 of his points and grabbing four rebounds in the first two quarters. With Karl Malone missing his third game because of a strained right knee, the Lakers actually need production from Grant these days. He came in early after fill-in starter Slava Medvedenko picked up two quick fouls, and helped the Lakers maintain their lead.

“Horace came in and played really well for us, gave us a big lift in the first half,” Jackson said.

Grant appeared to come along for the ride when the Lakers signed him on July 28, resuscitating him after the Orlando Magic cut him loose early last season.

Now it was finally time for him to work.

“I didn’t want to push him early in the season, because he hadn’t played [in a year],” Jackson said. “But it’s the point in the season when you have to play him some minutes, use his skill of rebounding and defense. Tonight was a real good night.”

It has been a couple of good nights for him. His 11 rebounds Thursday were among the few bright spots in the Lakers’ sorry loss to the Houston Rockets. They also matched his total for the previous five games.

If you notice, Grant is often the guy tapping a loose rebound out toward a teammate. He might not get the credit, but the Lakers get possession.

You won’t find him complaining one bit. Not that he was too unhappy with his last go-round with the Lakers in the 2000-01 season. He left because he had a chance to go back to the Orlando Magic for more money in a place with lower real estate costs. He came back for a $1-million contract he signed July 28 to get another shot at a championship.

“My first year here it was a little pressure being the starting power forward and the whole nine yards,” Grant said. “This year it’s more relaxed. This is sort of like paradise.

“Look here, man. When you’ve got a Karl Malone, give him the minutes. He deserves it. You’re talking about a future Hall of Famer. He’s one of the top two or three power forwards to ever play the game. I definitely don’t have a problem with that.

“My mind-set is to come in and relieve Shaq some minutes. If I get the little open jumper, make it count. Because you only get two or three.”

He had eight Sunday, and made four, leading him to say: “Phil Jackson, run some plays for me.”

Just another joke. He really isn’t worried about shots.

“If they come, they come,” Grant said. “If not, my name was built on playing defense and rebounding.”

Yes, there are days in practice when the thought of lounging around in retirement seems like a better alternative.

“You think about it,” Grant said. “But I chose to come back here. It’s a great situation. Karl and Shaq, it’s going to be tough for them to play 82 games. That’s where I step in and, hopefully, not skip a beat.”

So he is leasing a house in Brentwood, just sold his house in Florida and is looking at some property north of Santa Barbara, near San Luis Obispo.

“You get your money’s worth up there, man,” Grant said.

The Lakers feel the same way about Grant.

J.A. Adande can be reached at: j.a.adande@latimes.com.