Fox, Knight Back in the Rotation

Forward Rick Fox, unavailable the first three games of the season nursing sore feet and ankles, played Wednesday for the first time this season.

Coupled with the return of forward Travis Knight, who sat out the second and third games suffering from flu, that meant the Lakers had all 14 players available for the first time this season.

Fox and Knight, who looked out of sync, were the first Laker reserves to come off the bench in the first quarter.

Coach Del Harris said the influx--especially Fox--comes just in time to give Eddie Jones and Kobe Bryant, both averaging more than 41 minutes in the first three games, a little extra rest in this jam-packed schedule.

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Harris refused to get drawn into any discussion about Bryant’s status as the Lakers’ starting small forward.

“There’s really no point in getting into a controversy about it,” Harris said. “If, on our team, playing time or starting or who scores points becomes a big issue, then we’re not going to go anywhere. So if I address those issues, then I’m fostering a kind of controversy that will defeat us.”

TONIGHT at Minnesota

5, Channel 9 (6)

* Site--Target Center.

* Radio--KLAC (570).

* Records--Lakers 3-1, Timberwolves 2-1.

* Record vs. Timberwolves (1997-98)--4-0.

* Update--To close this all-feud trip, Shaquille O’Neal goes to Minnesota, the team he declared “a vendetta” against--though he had to be reminded of it Wednesday-- when the Timberwolves refused to trade Tom Gugliotta to the Lakers during training camp.