Magic Gets Company in Misery : Abdul-Jabbar Hurts Elbow; Johnson Out at Least Until Sunday

By the end of practice Monday, the Lakers looked as if they had emerged from combat rather than a four-day break for the National Basketball Assn. All-Star game.

On one side of a courtside table sat Magic Johnson, who was being treated for a partially torn left hamstring that Dr. Robert Kerlan said will sideline him for a minimum of two games.

On the other side sat Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, his right elbow encased in ice packs after he hyper-extended it during the workout. A similar injury caused Abdul-Jabbar to miss a game earlier this season, but the Lakers said he is expected to play tonight against the Detroit Pistons.

Then there was forward A.C. Green, who practiced with plastic bandages affixed to his forehead, left arm, left leg and neck. Green, who was unhurt, apparently was just playing a macabre joke on Coach Pat Riley.

“Pain is the touchstone of all inspiration,” quipped Riley, searching for anything positive in the injury situation.

But without Johnson and with Abdul-Jabbar hurting, there is little to inspire confidence in the Lakers’ chances heading into tonight’s game against the Pistons, who are making their first Forum appearance since losing Game 7 of the NBA championship series last June.

Even before being examined Monday, Johnson knew he would miss tonight’s game and Thursday’s game at Portland. Later, Kerlan said that Johnson’s progress has been “excellent” but that he is not ready to resume working out.

Johnson will be evaluated again Friday to determine whether he can play in Sunday’s game against the Boston Celtics at the Forum.

Abdul-Jabbar’s injury is not believed to be nearly as debilitating. He has hyper-extended the elbow several times in the last few seasons. It happened again Monday when his elbow hit teammate Mark McNamara’s head under the basket.

Johnson, meanwhile, said his left hamstring, which he injured after making a layup Wednesday night against the Golden State Warriors, feels only minimally better.

He received twice-daily treatments over the weekend and briefly rode a stationary bicycle Sunday night.

“It’s still sore, but not as bad as it was (Wednesday) night,” Johnson said. “I felt it a lot (Thursday), but it’s always worse the next day. But (trainer Gary Vitti has) done a great job. I feel better than I did when I hurt it.”

Johnson’s injury occurred at an inopportune time for the Lakers. After tonight’s rematch against the Pistons, which Riley termed as the club’s biggest game to date, the Lakers will play at Portland Thursday and then will play the Celtics Sunday in a nationally televised game.

It is possible that Johnson will also miss Sunday’s game, and perhaps more.

“You always want to play in the big games like this,” Johnson said. “(Today) is our biggest game of the season, and you know what the Boston game always means. And playing up in Portland is always tough.

“We finally have everybody back and playing well, and then I go out. It’s tough. But the guys just have to weather the storm. They can still (win).”

Late last season, however, during a 19-game stretch in which Johnson either missed games or did not play at full strength because of a groin injury, the Lakers were 9-10.

“When we went .500 during that stretch, people don’t remember that Coop (Michael Cooper) also was out,” Riley said. “So we were missing two point guards, and I was playing Wes Matthews a lot.”

Cooper probably will start in Johnson’s place. Riley said that rookie David Rivers probably will play 20 to 25 minutes per game and that Orlando Woolridge’s role off the bench will be emphasized more. Riley also said he is considering other changes in player combinations, but he would not elaborate.

“The instinct of this team is to always look for (Johnson),” Riley said. “They’ve got to change that thinking now. Where I think we’re going to get the most help in from Orlando’s spot. He makes things happen on offense, like Earvin. He creates. He gets us to the free-throw line. He can drive the ball to the basket.”

Despending on the length of Johnson’s absence, the Lakers could be in danger of losing their lead in the Pacific Division. They resume play after the All-Star break only 2 1/2 games ahead of the Phoenix Suns and 3 1/2 in front of the Seattle SuperSonics.

And, in two weeks, the Lakers will make their last trip East this season. But Riley said that he does not believe the Lakers need to make a trade before the Feb. 23 deadline and that Johnson’s loss will be neither long nor harmful to their record.

“This is the time when there’s no escape, no retreat,” Riley said. “The only thing we, as a team, can do is look at the big picture. It’s a long season. Teams want to kick our (butts). They are probably drooling at the mouth over our injuries.

“It’s a challenge. You can’t dodge the schedule. You can’t fret about it. We’ve got 10 great players (not counting Abdul-Jabbar and Johnson) left. They can’t replace Earvin. They know that. They know what they have to do.”