Ceballos Back Under Cover of Shaq

And then there was the return of Cedric Ceballos.

Hidden somewhere behind the comeback of Shaquille O’Neal was Ceballos coming back, practically sneaking into the Forum unnoticed Friday night in his first game against the Lakers since being traded to Phoenix in the Robert Horry deal of Jan. 10. Actually, he sort of did sneak in, going into the home locker room, and then cutting through a back hallway to get to the Suns’ side.

Beyond that, he said, this was simply another game. Even if it wasn’t simply another fan reaction--a mix of boos and cheers upon entering for the first time.

“When I first got traded, I just wanted to play,” said Ceballos, out because of a torn tendon in his right knee at the time. “That’s all I was worried about, getting off the injured list and into the lineup. I never really mapped this game out.

“I still stayed close with with the guys and came to games. I hadn’t gotten away. I hadn’t gotten out of touch. It’s not like I hadn’t seen these guys.”

Ceballos, the Lakers’ leading scorer the previous two seasons and an all-star in 1995, was a starter in Phoenix, then suffered two minor knee injuries. The second time, Coach Danny Ainge went with a three-guard lineup, the Suns took off from there, and Ceballos hasn’t gotten his job back. He had averaged only 12.6 minutes the previous 11 games.

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George McCloud will be out for the rest of the regular season because any player that goes on the injured list must sit out at least five games. But Coach Del Harris said that doesn’t mean McCloud will also be out for the postseason.

“There could be a roster change before the playoffs,” Harris said. “This is not necessarily our roster. It may be, or it may not be.”

McCloud, acquired just before the trade deadline for his outside shooting, made 35.4% of his attempts in 23 games as a Laker, although 42.9% on three-point shots. Those struggles limited him to 12.4 minutes per outing.