Lakers Get Four-Star Rating as Van Exel, Jones Honored

Talk about your Laker fastbreaks.

The push continued Tuesday, almost to unprecedented proportions, when, in a surprise, both Nick Van Exel and Eddie Jones were named all-star reserves, joining starters Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant for the Feb. 8 game in New York.

The Lakers became only the sixth team in NBA history to have four representatives. Just as impressive, it has not been done since the Philadelphia 76ers of 1983 with Moses Malone, Julius Erving, Maurice Cheeks and Andrew Toney and not by the Lakers since 1962, with Elgin Baylor, Jerry West, Frank Selvy and Rudy LaRusso.

None of the Chicago Bull teams that won championships or 72 games had four all-stars.

None of the Showtime Laker clubs or the Bird-McHale-Parish teams in Boston ever had more than three.

And then these guys--alternately bashed and praised, at once called underachievers and legitimate title contenders--go and do it. What made it especially pleasing is how the accomplishment came to be. With a vote of Western Conference coaches, who couldn’t vote for their own players, that defied the odds and expectations.

“It just means there’s no question that they [coaches] respect what they’ve done,” Del Harris of the Lakers said.

Van Exel, for one, was among those certain that sixth man Bryant’s making the all-star starting lineup from fan balloting meant the end of any chance both starting guards had to go, and he was sure he would be the one left behind while Jones went. To have Bryant, Jones and Van Exel make it? Three guards from the same team, even if Bryant also sometimes plays on the front line?

Not possible.

Possible, after all.

“We got a Laker lineup there now,” said Jones, going for the second year in a row.

He’s not far off. O’Neal at center, Bryant at small forward, Jones at shooting guard, Van Exel at point guard, with all waiting to see whether West Coach George Karl of the Seattle SuperSonics will play all four together for posterity. And O’Neal certain he won’t simply to spite the Lakers.

Jones took his selection in stride--”Everybody was telling me I was going to make it anyway”--but there was no denying the importance of the moment to Van Exel, not merely an all-star for the first time but, in some ways, feeling appreciated by coaches for the first time. So realistic was he of a negative perception around the league that he refused to get excited about the possibility of being picked, preferring a gloomy outlook because it would at least mean there wouldn’t so far to fall when the bad news came.

When the good news came Tuesday, in an 8:30 a.m. fax from Laker assistant public relations director Erikk Aldridge, Van Exel still would not believe it. His roommate, Cedric Washington, called Aldridge back at the Great Western Forum offices to confirm--and then still asked two or three more times if it was true.

Upon being told, over and over, that it was, the celebration began.

“It’s definitely a dream come true,” Van Exel said later. It hasn’t sunk in yet.

“The fans like dunks, and I can’t dunk with my leg. But when you get voted in by coaches, it means you’re doing something special.

“I said a prayer this morning, thanking God. All the things I’ve been through, to come back and have a year like this is rewarding.”

Still to be determined is whether he will even get the chance to play. Van Exel said he is “still contemplating” whether he will be a spectator at Madison Square Garden because of chronic sore knee that continues to keep him out of practices. He said he will speak to league officials to determine a cutoff date for making his decision.

Taking both Laker guards made Stephon Marbury the most notable omission from the West backcourt, though some thought Clyde Drexler also deserved to go and that John Stockton could make a late run after playing well in limited time because of his knee injury. Instead, Mitch Richmond and Jason Kidd were added to the bench that will play behind Bryant and Gary Payton, meaning coaches opted for six players there and four at forward.

Vin Baker and Tim Duncan were the only reserves selected there to join starters Karl Malone and Kevin Garnett. David Robinson was chosen as O’Neal’s backup at center.

East coaches voted Tim Hardaway, Reggie Miller, Glen Rice, Steve Smith, Rik Smits, Antoine Walker and Jayson Williams for that bench. One other addition is likely since Penny Hardaway, a starting guard, is not expected to play because of a knee injury.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

NBA ALL-STAR ROSTERS

EASTERN CONFERENCE

*--*

Player Pos Ht Wt AS* Team x-Penny Hardaway G 6-7 215 4 Orlando Tim Hardaway G 6-0 195 5 Miami x-Grant Hill F 6-8 225 4 Detroit x-Michael Jordan G 6-6 216 12 Chicago x-Shawn Kemp F 6-10 256 6 Cleveland Reggie Miller G 6-7 187 4 Indiana x-Dikembe Mutombo C 7-2 261 5 Atlanta Glen Rice F-G 6-8 220 3 Charlotte Steve Smith G 6-8 221 1 Atlanta Rik Smits C 7-4 265 1 Indiana Antoine Walker F 6-9 245 1 Boston Jayson Williams F-C 6-10 245 1 New Jersey

*--*

COACH--Larry Bird, Indiana.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

*--*

Player Pos Ht Wt AS* Team Vin Baker F 6-11 250 4 Seattle x-Kobe Bryant G 6-7 210 1 Lakers Tim Duncan F-C 7-0 248 1 San Antonio x-Kevin Garnett F 6-11 220 2 Minnesota Eddie Jones G-F 6-6 200 2 Lakers Jason Kidd G 6-4 212 2 Phoenix x-Karl Malone F 6-9 256 11 Utah x-Shaquille O’Neal C 7-1 315 6 Lakers x-Gary Payton G 6-4 180 5 Seattle Mitch Richmond G 6-5 215 6 Sacramento David Robinson C 7-1 250 8 San Antonio Nick Van Exel G 6-1 190 1 Lakers

*--*

COACH--George Karl, Seattle.

x-starter; *times either voted to or named to All-Star teams.