Piecing Through the Laker Wreckage : Pro basketball: Everyone has a theory about what went wrong, but no one knows what caused the collapse.

The way some talk, the Lakers’ mystifying playoff collapse should be included in the next Time-Life book of unexplained phenomena. These people are convinced that outside forces were involved in the team’s sudden demise after a decade of prominence.

Certainly, the loss to the Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals, after winning an NBA-best 63 games in the regular season, is not easily explained. There are the tangible reasons, supported by statistics. But there also are a lot of theories twisting around the Forum like Kevin Johnson on a layup.

Jerry West, the Lakers’ general manager, offered no quick and definitive explanations Wednesday. West has his theories, like everyone else. His mean more, because he will determine the team’s future.

And West promised that changes will be forthcoming. Already, there has been talk that the Lakers will pursue free-agent forward Sam Perkins or John (Hot Rod) Williams. Trade talk, come late June, will heat up.

For now, though, West is groping for reasons and solutions.

“No one knows why,” West said. “I don’t know. But it happens. It’s perplexing. Everyone wants to blame someone. I think you can blame the team, en masse. Blame them all.

“I wish I knew why we didn’t play like the team we were in the regular season. This makes my job harder.”

West said he awoke at 4 a.m. Wednesday, thoughts already racing through his mind.

He has heard all the theories--some rational, some outrageous--that have circulated from the expensive courtside seats to the press table to the parking lot that West likes to stalk during stressful moments in games:

--The Minnesota Timberwolves, not Phoenix, beat the Lakers.

Say what? The expansion Timberwolves did not even qualify for the playoffs. But in October, Minnesota President Bob Stein, who has a football background, turned down a Laker offer of two first-round draft choices and reserve center Mark McNamara for Rick Mahorn, who had told the Timberwolves he would not play for them.

It was a deal most could not refuse. Minnesota did. A month later, Mahorn was traded to Philadelphia for one first-round pick.

Mahorn is the physical big man the Lakers lacked. Certainly, he could have prevented Sun center Mark West from dominating the middle.

“Don’t tease me,” said Magic Johnson, when asked about Mahorn as a Laker.

“We have to add a big man, get someone big and strong. I said it all season, and I’ll say it now. Vlade (Divac) played good, but him and Mychal (Thompson) are still the same. They aren’t strong. Every team you see that’s in there now has two different types of players. From San Antonio, who go from (David) Robinson to Frank (Brickowski) to Caldwell (Jones). Portland has (Kevin) Duckworth and (Wayne) Cooper. You gotta have a blend, and we got two guys who are just the same.”

--The Lakers miss Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

During the regular season, no. But in the playoffs, the Lakers could have used Abdul-Jabbar in the middle. Teams did not double-team James Worthy in the low post as long as Abdul-Jabbar was around. Even at 42 last season, Abdul-Jabbar filled space in the lane, if nothing else.

Also, Johnson said the Lakers missed Abdul-Jabbar’s playoff-ready attitude. He suggested that newer Lakers had not adopted that approach.

“Every year, we changed over (mentally) from the other season to the playoffs. That never happened. We used to crank it up another notch. That’s where you miss Kareem and other guys that are used to being there. It used to be, bam, we’re a different team.”

--Players are tired of Riley’s dogmatic approach .

For as long as West can remember, there has been grumbling among the team about Riley’s taxing practices. Just last weekend in Phoenix, Riley unleashed two screaming fits. Some players felt it was uncalled for. Others passed it off as typical Riley motivational tactics.

But West and Johnson both defended Riley, who has said he wants to remain Laker coach next season.

“It’s always easiest to blame the coach,” West said. “In this case, it’s grossly unfair to do it. I’ve never heard of any team where players don’t complain. Our players are treated well, from a coaching and management perspective. The grumblings I’ve heard are the same grumblings I’ve heard for 30 years.”

Johnson said: “He’s definitely the coach for this team. There’s no problem there. We won 63 games. He’s had us there all these years. Now, to say it’s his fault is ridiculous.”

--Other Western Conference teams have improved more rapidly than at any time in the 1980s .

This is undeniable. Phoenix won 55 and 54 games the last two seasons. Portland posted a franchise-high 59 victories this season. Utah had a franchise-high 55. San Antonio pulled an NBA-record 35-game turnaround.

“We knew it was going to be tough,” Johnson said. “The NBA was the strongest this year as ever before. The West has been super-strong. We knew coming in, whoever we faced would be a tough opponent.”

--Outside shooting, not outside forces, did them in.

Byron Scott, fighting injuries all season, had a poor offensive season. He averaged 15.5 points and shot 47%. In the playoffs, he dipped to 13.4 points and 46.2% shooting. Michael Cooper shot 38.7% in the regular season and 28.6% in the playoffs, Larry Drew 44% and 37.5%.

West said that acquiring a shooting guard--coming off the bench, most likely--is a priority.

“We need help, I don’t think there’s any question,” West said. “We need more support off the bench. We felt we needed a shooting guard this year. That’s why we signed Quintin Dailey, and that didn’t work out. That hurt.”

One report is that the Lakers will try to trade Scott while his value is still high. West said he always listens to offers about all of his players.

-- The Lakers overemphasized the regular season .

West laughed.

“What, we should have tried to finish with the worst record? Our players like to win all the time.”

--They are too old.

The Lakers have seven players 30 or older. Thompson, at 35, and Cooper, at 34, are the oldest. Thompson is signed through next season. All Cooper has to do is pass a physical to get his contract renewed automatically through next season.

West did not reveal his plans for Thompson. But he said of Cooper: “He’s been a very integral part of our success. I would assume that Michael Cooper will (eventually) retire here.”

--The demands of fatherhood . . . Five Lakers became new fathers during the season, two for the first time. The theory goes that those dead-of-night feedings were disruptions and sapped strength.

“No, that’s not it,” Orlando Woolridge said. “You deal with it.”

--It was the L.A. Kings jinx .

The Lakers borrowed King owner Bruce McNall’s private jet for the Phoenix series, and everyone knows the Kings are always eliminated in the second round.

--Bart Simpson is their muse.

Before the start of the playoffs, the Lakers posed for a promotional poster with the animated cartoon family, “The Simpsons.” And isn’t Bart’s motto, “Underachiever and proud of it?”

West believes that although it may have been the case in the playoffs, the Lakers will not be chronic underachievers. He said he will make changes without breaking up the core of the team.

West said Divac probably will be the starting center next season, pending another Yugoslav army deferment. “I feel like, in Vlade, we’ve got someone else we can start building around,” West said. “Here’s a kid who’s going to be a real fine NBA center.”

New additions figure to be role players, though West did not rule out a so-called blockbuster trade if he thought it would benefit the team. The Lakers also will pursue free agents, but they might be financially constrained because both Johnson and Worthy are expected to seek contract renegotiation.

“It doesn’t have to be a (star),” West said of new players. “It can be support people. Your great core players usually do their end of it. Those are people we are delighted with. Other people, we’re going to take a look at. We’ll listen to people, but that’s not unusual.”

West also had been listening to those theories attempting to explain his team’s decline.

“You people are always doing this, telling us what’s wrong,” West said. “It’s almost laughable at this time of year.”

But he wasn’t laughing.