Is Rodman the Final Pierce, er, Piece, of Lakers’ Puzzle?

Dear Dennis,

‘Sup, dude? We still cool? Get with us, we’ll win a title and par-ty all summer. And you know we’ll never stand in the way of you being you.

Later,

Dr. Jerry Buss

One way or another, this Laker season is going to be memorable and even if things don’t work out as Jerry Buss hopes, they may be able to repair the damage in the off-season.

There’s the Dennis Rodman affair . . . oops, bad choice of words. Make that the Lakers’ pursuit of Rodman.

If they stopped talking about it, they never stopped desperately seeking Rodman, who reportedly is finally ready to accept their invitation, even if negotiations with Fox for a movie deal got him only a polite, “We’ll keep you in mind if we think we have something right for you, leave your picture with the secretary.”

On the other hand, he has nowhere else to go and nothing else to do, so why not?

Just what the Lakers would be getting, besides 10-15 rebounds a game, remains to be seen. Rodman has been hanging out in his Newport Beach home, watching soap operas, down in the dumps over his on-again, off-again marriage, his career, future, life, you name it.

The Laker family has looked a bit better. The players seem to be bracing for the worst, or maybe that no-show in Minnesota was a coincidence.

Jerry West, who was never in favor of getting Rodman, has been better, having been ordered to see it through, only to learn there was no “through” there, since they could never get a yes, no, maybe, a meeting with or a phone call to Dennis.

After a week of talks, West wanted to impose a deadline the day the season started.

Sorry, Rodman’s International Creative Management people said, we have to talk to Fox because Dennis is in such demand, blah, blah, agent talk, etc., and we can’t commit.

West was sure he would resolve it last Monday, but the ICM boys, who reportedly had been told Fox had no interest in Rodman, were clamoring to talk directly to Chase Carey, who was vacationing in Mexico, or maybe Rupert Murdoch. In other words, it was still way too soon for a decision.

As last week wound down, it was occurring to even Rodman’s backers--Buss, Magic Johnson and Shaquille O’Neal--that their big hope didn’t seem like he wanted to play very much.

On the other hand, as a cavalcade of Nuggets parading unchecked to the front of the rim to dunk offensive rebounds served to remind them, they still need a power forward, so whenever Rodman is ready, what do they have better to do than run the risk of detonating themselves yet again?

It’s an interesting time in Lakerdom, where things are changing dramatically everywhere.

LOOKS LIKE KOBE CAN PLAY A LITTLE THREE

We seem to be entering the era in which Kobe Bryant does anything he tries on a basketball court.

He doesn’t only guard small forwards, he dominates them. He’s a close second to Shaq in rebounds, even if he has to Rodman a few away from teammates. (Note to Kobe--don’t try that with Dennis or you could get hurt.)

Remember when people wondered if Bryant would be scarred by those four airballs at Utah and he came back and made a quantum leap to all-star?

It’s happening again. Last week, he scored, defended, rebounded, passed and, in a development his teammates must have enjoyed, didn’t monopolize the ball.

“I don’t even want to say who he reminds me of,” the Nuggets’ Bryant Stith said after Kobe burned him, “but he’s very reminiscent of Mike.”

West had hoped that starting would smooth out Bryant’s game. That’s how it turned out, even if it happened by accident, because Rick Fox and Robert Horry were out. And if no one, even West, thought it would happen in a week.

Suddenly, the Lakers have to rethink everything. They may not have to trade Eddie Jones to open up a spot for Kobe, after all, they may be able to play them together and everything will be fine.

Or not.

OH YEAH, POINT GUARD

Derek Fisher has fine personal attributes but is struggling. Derek Harper, who now finishes games, has been terrific, but the Lakers didn’t plan to lean so heavily on a 37-year-old player.

Will they need a point guard? It’s being decided daily.

OH YEAH, POWER FORWARD

If Horry has proven anything since switching from small forward, it’s that he’s not a power forward. Power forwards are supposed to rebound and make the occasional three-point shots. When Horry is on, he makes threes and gets the occasional rebound.

And now, Rodman?

At least, if they go bust, there will be several quality power forwards on the market this summer, including Charles Oakley, who at 35, may come for the $2-million exception. Of course, first the Lakers have to make it to summer.

TALKING ABOUT MAKING IT TO SUMMER

For reasons best known to Buss, he’s dangling Coach Del Harris on what’s now a 10-week contract, without the customary one-year extension that gives a lame duck at least the appearance of backing from upstairs.

You can imagine what this does to Delmer’s authority. His players want Rodman? Sounds good to him.

Buss gave Randy Pfund an extension, for heaven’s sake, and Pfund did a lot less for him than Harris, who organized a rag-tag team, turned it respectable and made it possible to recruit O’Neal in the first place.

Why Harris should be held accountable for a roster that’s still in such flux is the real question even Del-haters can’t answer.

Anyway, you won’t have to wonder how this season and The Dennis Experiment turn out. There’ll either be a parade downtown, or a mushroom cloud over the Forum.

FACES AND FIGURES

Him again: David Falk, scourge of David Stern and Abe Pollin, is back to pulling the wings off his favorite butterfly, Hornet owner George Shinn, whom he’s trying to force to trade Glen Rice, as he once made him trade Alonzo Mourning--for Rice. And where does Falk want Rice? “I think the Lakers are one of the NBA’s best teams and one of the premier organizations,” he told the Charlotte Observer. “Jerry West is the Michael Jordan of general managers.” . . . Not so fast: The MJ of GMs won’t be making any commitments until Rice is back on the floor, looking like Rice, which is expected to happen in two weeks. After that, stay tuned. . . . Bad Mood Over Miami: En route to his third defeat in four games, Pat Riley took a moment to glare at Rick Pitino after the Boston coach called a timeout with 10 seconds left and a five-point lead. After the game, Tim Hardaway flipped the ball to Pitino. “I was told that Pat Riley was upset that we called a timeout,” Pitino said. “We’re nobody’s doormat anymore. We got routed four times by them last year and it was OK. Now we just won a game. I’ve always believed you should win with class and you lose with class.” . . . It’s happening again: New Milwaukee Coach George Karl played Glen Robinson at center down the stretch against Derrick Coleman in a win at Charlotte. “It worked, didn’t it?” Karl said. “They’re calling it the microbrew in Milwaukee.” . . . The Bucks got heat in 1996 for trading down to draft Ray Allen and letting Minnesota have Stephon Marbury, having heard he didn’t want to go to Milwaukee. It turned out that Marbury didn’t want to be in Minnesota, either. He’s expected to leave, and Allen, a happening player himself, just re-signed for six years with the Bucks. . . . Maybe the Big East was a better fit: Warrior players are already griping about P.J. Carlesimo’s 11-man rotation. “It’s a tough spot for Coach,” Bimbo Coles said. “He can’t keep everyone happy. If guys are going to be like that, it will be a losing battle for us. If guys are worrying about minutes after three games, we’re in trouble.” OK, you’re in trouble.