Harris Refuses to Take Light Schedule Lightly

The Lakers’ next three opponents, the Toronto Raptors, Clippers and Denver Nuggets, all have losing records but Coach Del Harris isn’t celebrating, prematurely or otherwise.

“I never feel that way,” he said Monday. “I really have a high regard for all the teams in the NBA.

“Everybody formulates their opinions as they grow up from high school and college basketball where you get the idea, unless you have an outstanding record, means you’re no good. The NBA’s different from that. . . .

“We don’t have the advantage of making our own schedule, don’t have the advantage of playing more home games than road games, don’t have the advantage of picking the referees. In high school and college, the teams all have some control over those things.

“In the NBA, you have some obvious great teams and you have the rest of the league. When you’re playing one another, mathematics tell you there’s going to be some teams that are going to finish in the bottom third. In high school and college, those bottom third teams are no good but in the NBA, they’re still good. Once you take them for granted, you’re dead meat.”

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Harris says, contrary to reports, that Shaquille O’Neal is honoring doctors’ requests for rehabbing and wasn’t really running last week.

“That’s just people going crazy,” Harris said. “What he did, he took about eight steps up and maybe 10 back. So that he was running with the Lakers. So, yeah, I guess he was.”

Nevertheless, Harris has been impressed by the desire O’Neal brings to his work.

“Anybody who ever questioned his love of the game, his willingness to play and compete, just didn’t do his homework,” Harris said. “From the time that we have had any dealings with him at all until today, he has demonstrated in every way how he loves to play.

“Even when he was doing the movie this summer, he was playing ball every day, working out every day. . . .

“And he says he’s not going to do any more movies. He wants to play ball.”