McCloud’s Future Up in Air

George McCloud, disappointed at being put on the injured list and figuring it means he will also be left off the playoff roster, said Saturday the decisions by the Lakers have prompted him to reconsider his stance about wanting to return next season.

McCloud had struggled to find minutes and a shooting touch, related factors to be sure, since being acquired Feb. 20 from New Jersey, but he also maintained all along that he would like to re-sign because of the opportunity to play with a dominating big man for the first time in his career. But now, destined to become a free agent July 1, he thinks the career here may be finished without ever really having started.

“It’s going to play a big part,” McCloud said of how going on the injured list Friday to make room for the return of Shaquille O’Neal and perhaps being left off the playoff roster will affect his decision. “I thought they brought me in here to be a big part of what was going on. I don’t think I got a fair shot at playing.

“No one can play well in two-minute spurts. The most minutes I’ve played since I got here was 24, and I played well. The next game, I got [10].”

Said Coach Del Harris: “I still feel like there’s a place for him here if he sticks around and does the right thing. But feeling sorry for yourself won’t get you far.”

The 24 minutes came April 2 against Denver in the only one of his 24 appearances that brought any real impact: 16 points on six-of-10 shooting, including four three-point baskets on seven tries. There were a couple of other positive showings, but even what should have been his best chances, starts at small forward on March 4 at Dallas and four nights later against New Jersey, were only worth a combined 28 minutes and one basket in 10 attempts.

“It’s all a matter of interpretation as to what a ‘chance’ is,” Harris said. “You average nearly 15 minutes for a quarter of the season, right?”

By Friday, McCloud was averaging 12.4 minutes and shooting 35.4% since being acquired from the Nets at the trade deadline for Joe Kleine and a first-round pick, a move accompanied by comments of elation from Harris. That night, he went on the injured list with a sudden case of a strained lower back so O’Neal could be activated.

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Elden Campbell dressed Friday against the Phoenix Suns but was held out by Harris in hopes that a couple of extra days would finally allow the bruised buttock, an injury suffered April 1, to heal. But, with Campbell finally able to return to his role as the starting power forward now that O’Neal is back, it looks as if he will also play only in an emergency today against the Utah Jazz. . . . The day after his first game in nearly two months, O’Neal reported no pain, stiffness or swelling in his left knee.