Spriggs Loses His Place in Rotation : When Lakers Drafted Green, Veteran Went to End of Bench

Just when Larry Spriggs thought he had finally arrived, it seems the Lakers were telling him he had to go.

All through the training season, it looked as though there would be disappointment for Spriggs, who hasn’t really had trouble finding jobs, just keeping them.

Spriggs played for three teams in the Continental Basketball Assn., and lived to tell about it. He also survived getting cut from NBA jobs in Houston and Chicago, too, when the Lakers finally took a chance on him two years ago.

But that was before A.C. Green showed up to put Spriggs’ job in jeopardy once more. Spriggs worried that he would not make the final Laker cut.

“There’s no end to proving yourself if you’re not a big name,” Spriggs said. “There’s nothing given to you. There isn’t a bed of roses anywhere. I’ve always had to plant my own.”

If this was supposed to be Spriggs’ last week with the Lakers, as some had figured, then Coach Pat Riley settled that issue last Saturday morning. Riley told Spriggs he wasn’t going anywhere, except maybe to the end of the Laker bench, and that’s not really so bad.

Riley told Spriggs he should not worry about being cut because the Lakers weren’t going to do that to him. But Riley told him it was time for a little attitude adjustment.

“Larry wants to play more, but he’s got to understand our rotation and that the idea is to win with him playing a certain role,” Riley said. “I can’t always play 11 or 12 guys. He can’t take it personally. The idea is winning.”

The Lakers will try to repeat that idea when they begin the regular season Saturday night in San Antonio.

Based on what Spriggs did last year, you could see why he thought he deserved more. He started 32 consecutive games when Riley shook up the Laker lineup after a 3-5 start and Spriggs responded with his best season in the NBA.

Spriggs played more minutes in more games and scored more points than he had in any of his three previous seasons. Spriggs was also a free agent, so he looked for the security of a four-year guaranteed contract from the Lakers, who declined.

So Spriggs’ demand of four years dropped to two years before he eventually settled for a one-year, nonguaranteed contract on the first day of camp. It wasn’t security, but it was a job.

Barring a trade, which is still a possibility, it appears Spriggs will remain with the Lakers. Last season, he played the power forward position, but this season Riley is moving Spriggs to small forward with James Worthy and Green.

“It’s not a glamour role for Larry, but it is a specific role,” Riley said. “With A.C., there is a duplication of effort with Larry, but I don’t want to let Larry go. He’s just got to have the proper attitude.”

Herb Williams had 19 points and 9 rebounds to help the Indiana Pacers defeat the Lakers, 119-116, in an exhibition game Monday night in Springfield, Mass.

The Lakers, who trailed by 12 points going into the fourth quarter, pulled to within two with six seconds to go on a 9-point spurt by Magic Johnson and a three-point shot by Byron Scott. Johnson led all scorers with 24 points, followed by Scott with 23.

Then Vern Fleming hit on a free throw after he was fouled by Maurice Lucas and Williams grabbed a long pass underneath the Lakers basket and held on as time ran out.

The Lakers, who finished the exhibition schedule 5-3, open their season Saturday night at San Antonio.

The Laker game was part of the 13th annual Basketball Hall of Fame doubleheader. In the first game, Ron Anderson scored 30 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 120-80 victory over the Chinese national team.

Anderson got 19 of his points in the first half. Edgar Jones added 15 points, Mark West 14, Phil Hubbard and Mel Turpin 11 apiece and World B. Free 10. Lu Jinging led China with 18 points while Wang Fei had 11 and Zhang Xuelei 10.