Good Signs for Lakers?

Maybe it’s a sign of exactly how messed up this 1999--not 1998-99, just ‘99--NBA season is going to be. After the Lakers held an informal formal workout at Southwest College, the man who provided the best analysis of the young, erratic Lakers was the youngest, most erratic Laker of all: Kobe Bryant.

“We’ve got some talented basketball players,” said Bryant, who, judging by the size of his afro, has scrapped efforts to be the next Michael Jordan in favor of replicating the 1970s version of Dr. J. “But we all know talent’s not going to win you a championship anyway. Whether you have 10 talented players or five talented players, you’re going to have to get the work done on the basketball court.”

The Lakers definitely learned that the hard way while being swept by the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference finals last season.

“It’s one thing learning it, it’s another thing carrying it out,” Bryant said. “It’s two totally different things. I think we learned it, and it’s time to execute it. And it takes a little time, because you have to be mentally prepared, you have to be focused all the time. And that’s something that’s going to take a little work. Especially with a young team. But you have to start sometime.”

The Lakers haven’t started yet.

Even though training camp hasn’t officially opened, the season has been going on for some time now. And the Lakers are behind.

They weren’t working out together in large numbers during the lockout as the Indiana Pacers were. When Del Harris dropped by to watch them last week, then lamented how pathetic they looked, only four players showed up the next day. Rookie Ruben Patterson said the veteran players asked him to stop running so much because they’re out of shape and can’t keep up.

Then there’s this prevailing hope that Jerry West will pull some strings, there’ll be a puff of smoke and all of a sudden the Lakers will have a roster that just can’t be beat.

In case they haven’t noticed, West already did his part: Signing Shaquille O’Neal, trading for Bryant and drafting Eddie Jones is more than most general managers have done in the past decade. It’s time for the players to return the favor.

West won’t stop tinkering, of course. “It would be nice to have a perfect team,” he mused. But any personnel moves are more likely to be along the lines of this week’s transactions--signing veteran point guard Derek Harper and trading Tony Battie to Boston for big man Travis Knight--than any blockbuster deal.

The Lakers lost to Houston in the Scottie Pippen sweepstakes. As appealing as Pippen sounded, he was a much better fit for the Rockets. Pippen is 33 and has a ton of mileage, including more than two seasons worth of playoffs (178 games) and two summers with the Olympic team. He very well could help the aging Rockets as they load up for one more run at the title, but in a couple of years his contract will be a salary cap liability.

Tom Gugliotta does a lot of things, but his teams don’t seem to do much. Although it wasn’t entirely his fault, Gugliotta has never had a winning record. He was injured in the second half of last season and the Minnesota Timberwolves did fine without him, posting their best record and winning a playoff game for the first time in franchise history.

Neither fit the Lakers’ plans for the long haul. And they don’t even fit the Lakers’ current needs, as succinctly summarized by O’Neal: “One or two shooters and a thuggish power forward.”

In other words, someone to keep defenses from collapsing on O’Neal and someone to bang with Karl Malone.

But it’s quite possible the Lakers will have to make do with what’s here. In fact, they’ll have to subtract; if they re-sign Rick Fox, as West indicated they might, they would have 14 players.

“We would be very happy with the roster we have,” West said. “Most teams would be.”

Then it would be a matter of achieving, of maxing out. They’d need Knight to show the hustle and nose for the ball he displayed when he was here a couple of years ago. They’d need Corie Blount to duplicate the effectiveness he showed in spurts last season. Bryant and Eddie Jones need to make their three-point shots. Shaq needs to be Shaq.

“Guys just have to be focused and do what they’re supposed to do,” O’Neal said.

If that’s not too much to ask. It was last year. Once again, the Lakers are their own greatest obstacle in pursuit of a championship. Now that the Bulls are dismantled, name another team with more talent from 1-10.

The Lakers could be virtually unchanged except at point guard. When the Lakers traded Nick Van Exel last summer, many people thought entrusting Derek Fisher with the Laker franchise was a little like handing the keys to an expensive car to the valet.

But right now Fisher looks like the least of the Lakers’ problems. He has worked hard on his game and has the right approach to his job, and you’d be surprised how far those two attributes will take a player. He’ll be fine.

Plus, he now has Harper to show him the ropes and take over if certain matchups (i.e. Gary Payton and Jason Kidd) become too much for him.

The 6-foot-4 Harper is a 15-year veteran who can “come in and regulate stuff,” as Robert Horry said.

If he could just regulate Elden Campbell. West sounded almost resigned to the possibility that he won’t be able to move Campbell, and disappointed that Campbell hasn’t been around to work out with the guys who are still his teammates, even if his name is in every trade rumor.

Eddie Jones’ name is mentioned in connection with more packages than UPS, but he shows up and works out with his teammates.

Bryant didn’t even attempt to explain Campbell’s absences, but he did give him a little bit of credit.

“He’s a grown man,” Bryant said.

He still has some growing up to do. And until they step on the court and prove otherwise, so do the Lakers.

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J.A. Adande can be reached at j.a.adande@latimes.com