Don’t Count on Jordan

Michael Jordan might stop by if he’s in town, but he almost certainly won’t work out with the Lakers in the immediate future or perhaps ever, according to Jordan’s friend, former teammate and current Laker Ron Harper.

In a recent phone conversation, Harper and Jordan chatted about the speculation surrounding Jordan practicing with the Lakers--fueled by Jordan’s workout with the Chicago Bulls last month and Coach Phil Jackson’s open invitation to do the same with the Lakers.

But Harper said the tone of the discussion was clear.

“I don’t expect him,” Harper said. “I told him we don’t need him. I told him he could come in and sit and see us, if he feels like it.

“But I told him he should leave basketball to where he has fun playing basketball--with his kids. Play with his kids. . . .

“Everybody thought he was coming out here to go up and down the floor with our team, I said, ‘Why?’ That’s what he said too: ‘Why?’ He said he loves Phil and me, but that’s about it.”

Jackson said this week that he hadn’t heard from Jordan, but said the invitation is still there.

However, Jackson has said Jordan probably won’t seriously consider practicing with the Lakers until their much-delayed new El Segundo practice site is completed--possibly not until February--which would help the team control a public frenzy.

Waiting for the completion of their practice site (originally scheduled to open in October), the Lakers are hopscotching between L.A. Southwest College, the Great Western Forum and shoot-arounds at Staples Center.

“I never was hoping,” Jackson said. “I just said if he wanted to, I’d probably let him. I can imagine him and Kobe [Bryant] getting into it. That’d be pretty tough. Pretty interesting.”