Laker Bandwagon Strikes an Iceberg in Middle of Utah

“If the Lakers had their mental stuff together, nobody could touch ‘em. . . . Thank God, you’ve got to have brains.”

--Charles Barkley, last fall

“Somebody needs to tell the Lakers they aren’t supposed to be winning like this. . . . I’m telling you, if they win one of those first two games in Utah, it’s over.”

--Barkley, this spring

*

I don’t think we’re in Seattle any more, Toto.

We’re at the bus stop with 10 million or so of our fellow Angelenos like Leonardo DiCaprio--he’s around so much, everyone just calls him “Leo” now, and Del Harris even does lines from “Titanic”--who were waiting to climb aboard the Laker bandwagon, until the Utah series started and someone forgot to tell the Lakers.

Yes, it’s been a little giddy around here, as everyone preened and tried to pinpoint when and how the Lakers turned awesome.

Everyone had answers, however ridiculous. Since this still could be a long postseason, we’d better start puncturing some balloons, such as:

* The Letter.

After Jerry West wrote to his players to fire them up, at the exact turning point of the season, every general manager is going to have to do it:

Dear Ingrates,

Since we once again find ourselves sucking wind, allow me to tell you how disappointed I am and how much I’d like to put you all on waivers.

Of course, most of you have multiyear contracts for sums I can only dream of, but see what you can do about earning your money the rest of the way. OK? Pretty please? Your GM

No man did more to put the Lakers where they are than West, but the letter he wrote, when they were struggling and word leaked that Harris was in trouble, was the least of it.

If the truth be told, West wrote it because he didn’t want to come back from Las Vegas, where he was scouting the Big West Conference tournament. He wasn’t about to drop in on a feeding frenzy so they could stick microphones in his face because there wasn’t anything he could say. The owner was upset and West a trifle exasperated himself.

No player said much about it at the time. Nick Van Exel said later he didn’t even know there was a letter. Several players left theirs around, allowing reporters to purloin them and quote from them at length.

The players did respond, but there were other factors, such as the schedule.

Of the next 15 games, eight were at home (which they won), five were against losing teams on the road (which they won) and two were against winning teams on the road (which they lost decisively, at Seattle and Utah.)

They got Van Exel back. They throttled back their offense and tightened up their defense. Next thing you knew, they were feeling better about themselves.

And then there was another sure-fire hit:

* Eddie’s mom.

Now we’re talking can’t-miss stuff, the advice Eddie Jones got from his mom, after the first five playoff games, in which he averaged 12 points and shot 36%.

He then went on the roll of his life, averaging 25 points in the four wins over Seattle, rocking the SuperSonics, who loosened the chains on Shaquille O’Neal, allowing him to show what he can do when a defense can’t mass to stop him.

Now all the moms are going to have to write their kids:

Dear Muggsy,

Just thought I’d drop you a line to let you know I still have faith in you and to let you know, I don’t care if you are 5-3, if you’re just a little more aggressive, you could be soaring over those other players, the way that Eddie Jones did after his mom told him how much she loved him.

I’ll be waiting home with the milk and cookies.

Love, Mom

Of course, we suspect Eddie’s mom has encouraged him before, without such dramatic results.

Who knows if, when, or how a talented young player like Jones will finally put it together--or for how long he’ll keep it together?

Jones is a late bloomer and a contradiction, ambitious but often reluctant to put himself on the line. He pines for honors but shies from the spotlight. Laker publicist John Black once remarked that Van Exel has a love-hate relationship with fame, but with Eddie, it was closer to “like-hate.”

Asked before this series if he considers himself a key, or a piece of the puzzle, Jones chose the latter. It’s a debate, he says, that goes on in his mind all the time.

“I’m always telling myself, be more assertive,” he said a couple of days ago. “You know sometimes, I step back some nights because I see somebody else has it going a little bit. And I step off my game.

“I’ve heard it over and over again from guys on this team, from management--be assertive, be aggressive, do what you can do, we’re behind you, no matter if you make a mistake. You can make five, six turnovers, keep doing what you do.”

Not that he was more to blame than anyone else in their no-show Saturday, but Eddie stopped doing what he does. In the playoffs, a player defines himself daily, but he won’t always make his first shot or two, or get easy hoops.

Against Seattle, the Lakers solved their old problem of executing in the half-court in crunch time, by blowing the games open by the end of the third quarter. Utah doesn’t look as if it will go as easily.

It’s a terrible thing to have as much potential as the Lakers, who are either seen as awesome and inevitable, or utter failures and character-deficient.

No one wants to see them for what they are, talented young guys, trying to find their way at the elite level. It took Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant four years together to win a title. For this nucleus, it’s Year 2.

It’s early in the spring of Year 2 too, and more adventures await on the road to the improbable. As Shaq might have said about George Karl, it won’t be over till the fat lady sings.

FACES AND FIGURES

The Fab Two gets a divorce, or on second thought, maybe it wasn’t such a great idea to make Golden State trade me: The Washington Wizards had four years to figure out how to break their logjam at power forward but blew it, dealing Chris Webber, who had more trade value than Juwan Howard, but was better than Howard, made less ($10 million next year to $13.1 million) and hadn’t been in much more trouble. Newly acquired Mitch Richmond will be 33, Otis Thorpe 36, to Webber’s 25--and both will be free agents next summer. Also, insiders say free agent Rod Strickland liked Webber, doesn’t like Howard and is likelier to leave. Aside from that, it makes perfect sense. . . . Why did the Wizards do it? Try disappointment and desperation. Long-suffering owner Abe Pollin and old-line General Manager Wes Unseld couldn’t stand another moment of hearty partying, underachievement or arrest. “Was I angry that they [Webber and Howard] had a party at 4:30 in the morning when they should have been sleeping and preparing for practice?” Pollin said. “Yes. I thought it was a stupid action on their part. But I believe they’ve learned their lessons from this. . . . I think some of our players used very poor judgment by not showing up to meet the season-ticket holders and not showing up for the video and not showing up for the autograph sessions. I don’t think they realized what bad judgment they used.” . . . For the Kings, it’s a coup. Webber has two years left on his contract and this isn’t a good time for him to refuse to report, public relations-wise. . . . Up-to-date totals on Webber: Five years, three teams (four if you count Orlando, which traded him on draft day), six playoff games, no playoff wins.

After making a career of negotiating for the perfect NBA job, Celtic emperor Rick Pitino suggests he’s being hamstrung by budget-minded owner Paul Gaston. “I have total decision-making power, except with a contract that goes $14 million [a year],” Pitino said. “Now, why did I go $14 million? Well, just a year ago when we negotiated my contract, I said, ‘It’ll never get to that amount.’ So I took this crazy number out, knowing a salary will never get to that number in my life span as a coach. Now, one year later, less than one year, it got there. So over that amount, Paul is going to have to come to grips with whether or not the Celtics can spend that type of money. I will certainly counsel him on that. I will certainly be part of the decision. But he’s the head of a major organization and it’s not my call.” . . . In other words, does your college need a turnaround specialist?

The Clippers are targeting Phil Jackson, who isn’t interested (or, at least, hasn’t started dropping hints on how Ike Austin or Stojko Vrankovic would do in the triangle) and Karl, whom they may have a real shot at getting. The SuperSonics are plainly not enthusiastic about rehiring Karl and his other hot prospects, Denver and San Antonio, have reportedly cooled.

Knick Coach Jeff Van Gundy, on Patrick Ewing’s courageous but too-late comeback: “It’s almost to the point of mind-boggling that a guy could be out so long and have such an impact on an important game. This is what people miss, for him to sacrifice that pride and come out there just to help us win or give us a better chance to win, regardless of how he is looking or how he is playing is a testament to him.” Said Pacer Coach Larry Bird: “The way Jeff talked about Patrick, it almost made tears come to my eyes.” . . . The New York Post, somewhat less sentimental, responded to the Knick loss with stories headlined: VAN GUNDY’S GOTTA GO and NUKE THE NUCLEUS OF THIS SORRY TEAM.