Cooper Cut; Peeler, Campbell on Injured List

The Lakers made their final roster moves before the regular season Thursday, cutting Duane Cooper and putting Anthony Peeler and Elden Campbell on the injured list to reach the 12-man roster.

Peeler, who has tendinitis in his right knee, and Campbell, who has a sprained left ankle, must sit out at least five games, meaning the soonest either of the two starters could return is Nov. 14 against Cleveland. Putting them on the injured list saved Kurt Rambis and James Edwards from a similar fate or worse, being waived.

Cooper, a second-year guard from USC, played in five of the eight exhibition games, getting only 37 minutes. A second-round pick--the choice was compensation from Milwaukee for allowing Mike Dunleavy out of his contract to coach the Bucks--he appeared in 65 games as a rookie. The arrival of Nick Van Exel made him expendable as the third point guard, not counting small forward Doug Christie’s experience there.

Van Exel was one of three rookies to make the team, joining first-round pick George Lynch, a reserve forward, and Antonio Harvey, an undrafted free-agent signee from tiny Pfeiffer College in North Carolina who is expected to start tonight against the Phoenix Suns at the Forum.

Free agent Trevor Wilson also survived the cuts.