Lakers Take Stock of What They Have and Have Gained

The most hectic day in NBA history came and went, and the Lakers still had Elden Campbell, still were interested in Tom Gugliotta, and still had the kind of talent that scares the rest of the league.

Nothing was at a standstill on Thursday as 13 Lakers started a six-day training camp at UC Santa Barbara with an intense, sprint-the-court evening practice.

The Laker assemblage included Campbell, who has been offered in trades, and new veteran point guard Derek Harper, but not Rick Fox, who got stuck in traffic on Highway 101 after signing a one-year, $1.75-million contract.

Will there be any more major additions?

“I don’t understand why we’d want to add a lot of people, myself,” Laker Executive Vice President Jerry West said. “We like what we have. My goodness, if we don’t like this, we better all get out of the business.”

West, though, was quick to dispute reports that Gugliotta, a do-it-all forward the Lakers are seeking in a sign-and-trade scenario, had ended the Lakers’ pursuit by agreeing to a free-agent deal with the Phoenix Suns.

“I don’t think that’s correct at all,” West said. “I don’t think he’s agreed to [sign] anywhere.”

Were the Lakers still in the picture, then?

“Listen, everyone’s got us in the middle of this Tom Gugliotta sweepstakes, but I think we’re kind of a last resort for Minnesota [Gugliotta’s current team],” West said. “If they get into trouble with him, then maybe we would have some reason to talk. But I think they feel confident they can still sign him.”

For the Lakers in attendance, the first day of camp was a sure step toward a focused approach for the upcoming torture-test: 50 games in three months, including three separate three-games-in-three-days situations.

Several Lakers took a look at the opening portion of the schedule--opening at home against the Houston Rockets on Feb. 5 then a Sunday spotlight against the rival Utah Jazz followed by three road games in four days--and gasped.

“This is crazy!” Eddie Jones said, staring at the schedule, especially a six-game March road trip zig-zagging over four time zones and spread over only nine days. “This is sick. Crazy. Man! This is insane!”

Surviving this, Jones said, will be all about depth and fortitude.

In Thursday’s practice, Harper, a 15-year-veteran, noticeably commanded respect on the floor, and Coach Del Harris said that center Shaquille O’Neal also was an authoritative presence.

“I saw both Derek and Shaq really asserting their wills here today with the guys,” Harris said. “And there was good healthy response all the way around. . . .

“You have to start off in high gear, you have to show your determination from the outset [in this shortened season]. . . There’s no time to kind of ease into the season.”

Harper, who said he is happy to be Derek Fisher’s backup, said he chose to sign with the Lakers instead of Indiana because he wanted to play with O’Neal, and said he knows several Lakers have been campaigning for an old vet to bark orders at them.

“Well, they say that now,” Harper said with a laugh. “Talk to me after 25 games, we’ll see. . . .

“[But] I think in order to be a successful team, you have to police each other. You have to get on each other when guys are loafing, guys aren’t getting it done. . . .

“These guys know me. Everybody here knows me, they know what I’m about and where I’m from. I’m not going to wait until the season’s over to be a leader. I started today.”

1999 Lakers Opening Games

Feb. 5: Houston, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 7: Utah, 12:30 p.m.

Feb. 8: at San Antonio, 5 p.m.

Feb. 10: at Denver, 6 p.m.

Feb. 11: at Minnesota, 5 p.m.

1999 Clippers Opening Games

Feb. 5: Phoenix, 7:30 p.m.

Feb. 7: Chicago, 6 p.m

Feb. 10: at Vancouver, 7 p.m.

Feb. 13: at Phoenix, 6 p.m.

Feb. 14: Minnesota, 6 p.m.

Full list: Page 7