Rooks’ Role Is Now ‘Nothing’

A dismayed Sean Rooks, having fallen out of shape and out of favor, said Tuesday he is frustrated and surprised at becoming a non-entity after being touted as a key to the Lakers’ success.

“I definitely thought I was going to have a bigger role,” he said before the game at Sacramento. “My role on this team has been reduced to nothing. I thought I was going to help out this team more. Obviously, I’m not helping this team at all.”

Signed to a seven-year, $13.4 million free-agent contract in the summer, Rooks has gone from being the No. 1 big man off the bench to the end of the bench, buried so far that he didn’t even play in seven of the 10 games before Tuesday. He was averaging only eight minutes per outing in all--last on the team.

In the meantime, he said he will be a good cheerleader and won’t pout. Others around the Lakers, however, note he hasn’t handled the demotion well.

So what does he think about the rotation of Coach Del Harris, already criticized by other players?

“I’m not going to comment on that,” Rooks said. “I don’t play as it is.”

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Guard Lloyd Daniels, signed by the Kings as a free agent last month, was waived before the game. The club activated center Kevin Salvadori from the injured list.