Hamblen to Finish Season as Coach

Frank Hamblen received a vote of confidence Wednesday from Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak and is expected to finish the season as coach.

One of the longest-tenured assistants in the league, Hamblen is 2-5 since taking over after Rudy Tomjanovich’s abrupt resignation and 1-1 since Kobe Bryant’s return Sunday from a sprained ankle.

Hamblen was halfway through his sixth season as a Laker assistant when Tomjanovich resigned Feb. 2 because of physical and mental fatigue.

Hamblen has installed more triangle-offense sets and demanded better defensive play. Off the court, he has displayed a disarming, self-effacing wit, insisting he is simply keeping the seat warm for the next Laker coach.

“We expect Frank to be our head coach for the remainder of the season,” Kupchak said Wednesday. “I think he’s done a great job and our roster will be healthier after the All-Star break.”

Bryant, who sat out 14 games because of his ankle injury, had 40 points and eight assists Tuesday in a 102-95 victory over the Utah Jazz. Forward Devean George and center Vlade Divac are also expected to return sometime after the break.

George has not played this season because of knee and ankle injuries, and Divac is scheduled to return in early April after having back surgery last month.

Hamblen’s previous head coaching experience was with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1991-92, when he replaced Del Harris and was 23-42.

Long-term coaching candidates for the Lakers are said to include Larry Brown, Phil Jackson and Flip Saunders.

The Lakers, 26-24 overall and in eighth place in the Western Conference, do not play again until Tuesday at Staples Center against the Boston Celtics.

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Less than 12 hours after a viral infection forced him to sit out his first game this season, forward Lamar Odom said that the Lakers would have a much better record than 26-24 if he had played better at the start.

“I feel that I could have helped this team’s record by playing my style of basketball, playing the way I know that I can play earlier in the year,” said Odom, who is averaging 15.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists.

“Just being efficient, making shots and making plays. I just wasn’t playing well.”

Since early December, Odom has increased his scoring average by two points and shown marked improvement in his rebounding and defense. He said that his confidence level is at a high heading into the final two months of the season and that the Lakers are beginning to jell as a team.

“With us in the eighth spot, we’re in the playoffs right now and that’s a lot better than being in the 10th or 15th spot,” Odom said. “We have a challenge ahead of us, in terms of playing [10 of 15 games on the road after the break] but we’re right where we want to be. Our fate is in our own hands.”

After playing on the U.S. Olympic team last summer and then moving straight into the NBA season with a new team, Odom said he’s going to remain in Los Angeles this weekend instead of returning home to New York, in order to get more rest.

“My body just wasn’t reacting to its normalcy,” Odom said. “My immune system was low or whatever it may be.”