O’Neal to Get Fast Treatment

Shaquille O’Neal is day-to-day, but, of course, each missed day costs so much more in this shortened season.

O’Neal, who sat out 21 games last season because of an injury to his abdomen, has a strained right groin muscle and will try to practice today after sitting out Thursday’s loss to Minnesota, the Lakers said Friday.

O’Neal, who suffered the injury Wednesday night during a victory over Denver, was examined by team physician Stephen Lombardo on Friday.

Alex McKechnie, O’Neal’s stomach-muscle specialist, was due to arrive Friday night from his home in Vancouver to supervise O’Neal’s treatment.

Last season, O’Neal said he first felt soreness in his abdomen during the summer, aggravated it during training camp, missed the season opener, but quickly returned to action.

After pulling the muscle in November, O’Neal sat out the end of November and all of December--21 games in all.

The lesson learned from last season, O’Neal said, is that he has to address any stomach- or groin-muscle problems right when they occur.

“The first time is what it’s like,” O’Neal said, apparently referring to the one-game absence last season, when asked what the current soreness is comparable to.

“The first time, I didn’t do anything. I didn’t get treatment. This time, I’m getting my guy down here for the right treatment.”

Coach Del Harris pointed out that the team has survived long absences--a total of 54 games overall--by O’Neal in his two previous seasons, mainly by getting good production from backup Elden Campbell.

“We just have to plow ahead,” Harris said, adding that the Lakers have won more than 60% of their games when O’Neal has been out of the lineup.

“[That] is still playoff basketball and better than most teams in the league play,” Harris said. “It’s not like we still don’t have a good team, because we do.

“[The total games O’Neal has missed], that’s more games than we’re going to play this season. . . . I’ve said many times, Elden is one of the top 12-13 centers in the league.”

Though Campbell struggled badly against Minnesota--two-for-10 shooting, five points and three turnovers--he has a history of putting up good numbers when he replaces O’Neal in the starting lineup.

Last season, Campbell, a starter at power forward for much of his career, averaged 17.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.9 blocked shots in the 15 games he started consecutively last December.

And before the Minnesota game, Campbell had played effectively as a backup center and power forward.

What happened to Campbell against the Timberwolves? “I don’t know,” O’Neal said.