Latest Loss Might Shake Up Lakers

It doesn’t take getting hit on the head with a ton of bricks, which these days is the same as getting hit on the head with a ton of Laker shots, to note the contradiction.

While chances are good that Coach Randy Pfund will get a one-year contract extension by the end of the week, Laker players continue to bite their lips so much over his role in the team’s continuing struggles that someone could land on the injured list with a strained mouth.

The latest test of patience came Sunday night, when they were routed by the Cleveland Cavaliers, 122-92, before 17,308 at Richfield Coliseum, the Lakers’ seventh loss in eight games.

The aftershocks were as harsh as the game.

One player, asked if Pfund was the problem, gave a quick laugh, smiled, looked up out the corner of his eye and said, “No comment.”

Pfund, meanwhile, raised the possibility of making two lineup changes before Tuesday’s game at Orlando, turning away from power forward for the moment to put small forward Doug Christie and shooting guard Anthony Peeler on notice.

Shake-ups don’t usually start with a team’s two leading scorers, especially when the Lakers aren’t scoring as it is, but they also don’t usually lose back-to-back games to opponents who were 7-13 and 7-14 going in.

“Maybe we need to shake it up a little bit,” Pfund said after the Lakers dropped to 8-16.

He could use Sedale Threatt in Peeler’s spot, or even Tony Smith, because Pfund sees defense as the Lakers’ top priority and Smith is their best in the backcourt in that area. Smith could also step up and replace Christie if they went with a small lineup. James Worthy is a longshot possibility at small forward, though that would go against the youth movement, and Pfund also mentioned George Lynch, who is having trouble simply getting in games.

Even if the familiar five stays intact, Pfund’s comments seemed to signal an opportunity for Smith, who has barely been part of the rotation since Peeler returned from the injured list in the sixth game.

“I feel great about that,” Smith said. “That’s what I’ve been waiting for. Any minutes would be more than I’m getting now.”

If Pfund sees the main problem as defense, with rebounding a close second, players are grumbling about the offense and their coach calling too many plays. Doug Christie and James Worthy have already spoken out about the need to let a young team loose to run more, and add Peeler to the list.

“We’re pretty frustrated because things are not working out,” Peeler said.

So is Pfund going for scapegoats or real solutions when he talks of a lineup change?

“Probably both,” Christie said. “I don’t know who he is going to pull out. If he’s going to pull me out, I don’t know. I’m out there doing the best I can with what he’s giving us. That’s all I can do.”

Laker Notes

Nick Van Exel had 16 points and eight assists for the Lakers. Elden Campbell added 15 points and 10 rebounds. . . . Cleveland’s Mark Price led all scorers with 21 points, making nine of 13 shots. . . . Randy Pfund: “I’m not totally to the point of exasperation or feeling like we’ve lost our game completely. On the road that can happen to you. I still believe in these guys.” . . . Larry Nance is expected to begin practicing with the Cavaliers today after five weeks on the injured list following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. Nance has been working out with Gerald Madkins, the UCLA product who is on the injured list with a chipped bone in his right wrist. . . . Chris Mills, Cleveland’s first-round draft choice who missed the last two games after an irregular heartbeat was discovered, might play Tuesday.