Lakers Now Thinking Rice Is a Keeper

Only days before the beginning of the NBA’s pivotal period of player movement, Laker executives Jerry West and Mitch Kupchak traveled to Glen Rice’s South Florida home and returned to L.A. convinced that Rice will and wants to be an integral part of the Lakers next season, a team spokesman confirmed Friday.

After weeks of some tension and many trade scenarios, West and Kupchak visited Rice and his wife, Christina, on Wednesday to communicate firsthand that they very much wanted him to be with the Lakers and Coach Phil Jackson for the long term.

With so much riding on his mood and talents and very little time left to evaluate their options, West and Kupchak also needed to gauge his attitude about coming back, several sources said.

Rice, the sources said, told the executives that, though he still was not pleased they exercised their $7-million option on him for the 1999-2000 season--preferring a more-lucrative deal--he was not looking to go elsewhere.

“It went well,” Laker spokesman John Black said of the discussions. “They wanted to meet with him face-to-face, to sit down and talk with him about things that happened last season--obviously, it was a chaotic season for everyone involved with Lakers.

“They wanted to make sure there were no issues that needed to be resolved. A lot has been written, there have been rumors, and they wanted to let him definitely know we want him to be a part of the team and Phil is looking forward to him being a part of the team.”

The unusual Laker visit highlights Rice’s unique position as the Lakers prepare for Sunday, when teams can begin to make trades and sign free agents.

Rice, acquired last March from Charlotte for Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell, is the team’s most tradable asset, assuming Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant are untouchable.

At times last season, Rice grumbled about the Lakers’ stand-still offense, did not seem to fit into the Laker chemistry, and mentioned in the past that, if given a choice, would like to play nearer to his home.

Rice has been mentioned in potential trade packages involving Orlando’s Penny Hardaway, Miami’s P.J. Brown and Houston’s Scottie Pippen.

But the trade scenarios are far from solid, and Rice’s shooting ability is highly regarded by Jackson and could be effective in the triangle offense.

Settling the Rice question frees the Lakers to plot out the rest of their off-season, the sources said.

With the Lakers eyeing a strong run at Toronto free-agent power forward Charles Oakley--who is scheduled to visit the Lakers next week--and expecting to re-sign backup forward Rick Fox quickly with their “early Bird” exception at the league’s average salary (about $3 million), dealing Rice to acquire a front-line player apparently is not considered necessary.

When asked if the Lakers absolutely had decided not to trade Rice, Black said the Lakers do not comment on trade speculation or deal in absolutes.

He also declined to say whether West and Kupchak discussed a possible contract extension at the end of the upcoming season with Rice.

When West informed Rice over the phone on draft night that the Lakers were picking up the option on his contract, Rice was deeply upset and expressed it vehemently.

“Obviously, there was some disappointment on Glen’s part about the contract option being picked up, and he had made some statements last year about his unhappiness with certain aspects of the offense and of the team,” Black said.