Lakers Don’t Have to Go to College for a Coach

News item: Jerry West issues a press release to deny speculation he’s interested in Rick Pitino and Roy Williams.

Comment: Did I miss something or don’t the Lakers still have a coach?

Speculation comes with the turf and, if it makes West crazy, it’s an offshoot of the rising interest that pays their rising salaries. If it isn’t kind, a coach should be able to endure it for $750,000 a year. If it proves unbearable, he can always go into TV or sales.

If it’s mindless, that’s life in the public eye. Because the Lakers once pursued Pitino and Williams, people suspect they admire them still.

What is hard to understand is, why would anyone think Del Harris is, should be or could be in trouble?

With nine new Lakers, including three rookies, one from high school, he had them off to a 37-13 start when Shaquille O’Neal was hurt, a pace that projected to 61 wins.

For the six weeks before Shaq went down, they had gone 18-4, a pace that would have carried them to 66.

In four weeks, without two starters, they’ve ridden out their bumps, are still in the running for the Pacific Division title, having developed their kids as they’ve gone. Kobe Bryant, a prodigious if impatient talent, has been calmed down, looks to pass occasionally and is starting to show his monster potential. Travis Knight and Derek Fisher have stuck in the rotation.

Summertime minimum-salary pickups Byron Scott and Jerome Kersey have been invaluable. Mid-season pickups Robert Horry and George McCloud are being worked in. Elden Campbell, thrust into the forefront by O’Neal’s injury, has revived. Eddie Jones has become an all-star. Nick Van Exel has gotten past his disastrous spring of ’96.

When the season started, Laker brass didn’t think they were a finished product, but now--young, huge, athletic, swift and deep--they’re getting closer.

Of course, when losses mount (or occur), there’s a tendency for a certain point guard to glower and for the guys who didn’t play to say they don’t know their roles, etc.

Let’s face it, the distinguished, white-haired, professorial Harris doesn’t look like one of them, tattoo or no tattoo.

If he was a surprising hire, upon arrival Harris rapidly organized what had been a rabble under well-intentioned Randy Pfund and horrified Magic Johnson, took them to 48 wins, an improvement of 14, and was named coach of the year.

Two years later, despite the squawking, he and his young players are doing OK, a good grade in today’s NBA.

Harris works at striking a balance between providing direction and listening, letting players call plays, covering for them, as when Van Exel took himself out of a game in Portland two years ago and Harris recommended against suspending him. Harris jokes about his love of Shaq’s rap albums. What more could they ask for?

Of course, the younger they come, the more apt they are to think of something.

Soon, perhaps even next season, Harris may be expected to win a title and held accountable if he doesn’t. In the meantime, good organizations aren’t star struck, nor do they shuffle coaches on whims. Delmer, the one they’ve got, is holding up his end just fine.

BIRD: BACK HOME AGAIN IN INDIANA?

In Indianapolis for the Final Four, Larry Bird continued expressing his admiration of Pitino (“If he does come to the NBA, I hope he comes to the Celtics”), even as M.L. Carr tried to persuade Celticdom he had this season planned all along.

Bird has more options than waiting on M.L.’s pleasure. If Larry Brown leaves, the Pacers will need a coach and they were interested in Bird the last time.

Bird turned them down but, after seeing former teammates Kevin McHale, Dave Cowens and Danny Ainge take over teams, has told friends he’d be interested now. That, friends say, was what he meant when he said recently there were teams he’d like to coach, but not the Celtics.

Bringing back Bird, whose legend in Indiana eclipses even that of the IU-tollah, Bob Knight, would be a public relations coup for the Pacers, who, after this season, will need one.

SONIC SAGA: STOP ME IF YOU’VE HEARD THIS ONE

The SuperSonics, the Pacific Division’s answer to the Marx Brothers, are circling the wagons once more, after another busy week:

Saturday--Shawn Kemp misses flight to Phoenix.

Sunday--George Karl doesn’t start Kemp, who comes off the bench, plays a listless 22 minutes and scores three points as Seattle loses, 107-106.

Says Kemp to reporters: “Nothing to talk about fellas,” and keeps walking.

Says Karl: “He said he slept through it [the flight]. I’m not a big believer in pursuing reasons or excuses. It’s over. It’s done.

“We handled it internally as a team today and I am more than satisfied. It was a good meeting. I explained where I was and other guys threw in what they thought and I think Shawn took it positively and we’ll move forward now. . . .

“You guys [reporters] are magnifying a circumstance to create controversy and a perception. I think I know him better than you all know him. I think he is committed and wants to win a championship. Is there confusion there? Yeah. But all players have confusion today with the money that is being thrown around.”

Tuesday--Kemp, coming off the bench, waits until Campbell and Knight have left to turn it on in the third quarter. He scores 21 points but SuperSonics lose to Lakers, 99-97.

Gary Payton huddles with Karl for almost 30 minutes afterward. Karl won’t say what they talked about, but what do you want to bet his initials were SK? “That’s between Gary and I,” Karl says. “But he’s as concerned as I am and it shows his leadership and class to come in and talk about it.”

Wednesday--Kemp is late again for a team meeting.

“The world of sports surprises us every day, doesn’t it?” says Karl, finally out of compliments.

In some cases, but this isn’t one of them.

NAMES AND NUMBERS

Running out of Magic in the Kingdom: The Orlando Sentinel fingered Penny Hardaway as the ringleader of the coup that claimed Coach Brian Hill. Said Hardaway to the Sentinel: “People look at our record and say that we won all of these games and went to the NBA finals. but I think we were the reason that we were winning because we overpowered people with Shaquille and outplayed them with our talent.” Fans, who’d stopped booing when the Magic started winning under Richie Adubato, opened up again at the next game, a home loss to the 76ers. Brian Shaw made an obscene gesture back and it cost him $2,000. . . . Forever Derrick: The 76ers won three games in a row with 6-11 Derrick Coleman at center. “I know Derrick doesn’t like to do it, but we are a lot better when he does,” Jerry Stackhouse said. “A lot better.” The next game, Coleman sat out with a sore calf as the 76ers lost in Toronto. . . . Why do NBA teams drool at Pitino’s name? Here’s the Pacers’ Mark Jackson, who played for him as a Knick: “He’s simply the best. He’s a winner, he’s a players’ coach, he’s a workaholic, he’s a perfectionist, he’s a leader. He demands a lot from players and he wants you to be the best and he’s encouraging. He was a joy to play for.”

Guess who he’s voting for as defensive player of the year? Personable but, uh, assertive Atlanta center Dikembe Mutombo, who once said the league could “go to hell” if he wasn’t chosen for the All-Star Game, says he should get this honor too. “I deserve to win it,” Mutombo says. “The team is having that kind of season and I am having that kind of season..” OK, he’s got a case: Mutombo is second to Shawn Bradley in blocks, second to Dennis Rodman in rebounding. . . . Oh yeah, him: Rodman has already clinched his sixth consecutive rebounding title. Even though he’ll manage to play only 55 games, he’ll prevail since he needs either 70 games or 800 rebounds. Rodman’s abbreviated season, which coincided nicely with the opening of “Double Team,” his movie with Jean-Claude Van Damme, got him to 883. Mutombo would have to average about 40 to catch him. . . . Ron Harper on the movie: “Dennis was very funny. He talked more in that than he has here in two years.” . . . What, him worry? Michael Jordan averaged 26.1 points in March and shot 44%, one of of the worst months of his career. His average is now under 30, lower than in any full season since he was a rookie. Said Jordan, asked about it at a news conference for his underwear line: “At least I look good in my Hanes.”