Rambis Unable to Reach Harris

Kurt Rambis, an assistant under Del Harris for five-plus seasons until Harris was fired and Rambis elevated to Laker head coach, said he has tried to reach Harris since the firing, to no avail.

“I got an answering machine and the next time it just kept ringing,” Rambis said Monday. “So I don’t know what the story is.

“I just wanted to say a few things to him. I know it was hard for him to get fired and it’s just tough to be in that situation. Cotton Fitzsimmons told me a long time ago that coaches are hired to be fired, so I’m the next Laker coach to be fired.”

Rambis reiterated that he thought the team had begun to play with more of a defensive edge in its loss at Vancouver the night before Harris’ release.

“We’re not telling them anything different now, really, than what they were hearing before,” Rambis said.

“And I still think that it was an untimely firing of Del.”

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Rambis clarified, sort of, the Lakers’ position on Dennis Rodman showing up late for his first practice last Saturday. “I’m not going to stress myself over any of that stuff,” Rambis said. “He was late for practice, he will be fined accordingly and that’s just the end of it as far as I’m concerned.”

Laker record without Rodman: 7-6