Players Know It Won’t Always Go Smoothly

Coach Kurt Rambis and the Laker players agreed with Executive Vice President Jerry West’s belief that their immediate success after the signing of Dennis Rodman and the firing of Del Harris has given them a honeymoon period that could end soon.

But Rambis and the players also said they were prepared for eventually dealing with a few tough losses, and that the improvements being made are for the long run.

“We’ll lose a game or two, and then people will start saying, ‘Well, the newness has worn off and reality has set in and maybe they aren’t as good as they thought they were,’ ” point guard Derek Fisher said.

“If we lose a game late and all of a sudden it’ll be because of Kurt’s inexperience as a head coach, the Lakers don’t know what’s going on. . . . There are several scenarios that will cause people to say negative things about what’s going on.

“But things are different. I don’t think anybody can question that. Regardless of what happens from here, there’s just a new breath of fresh air.”

Rambis modestly volunteered that he has made coaching errors already in his tenure, and that all he can do is learn from each one.

“I’m going to make mistakes--there’s no two ways about that,” Rambis said Wednesday. “I’ve always felt that it’s OK to make mistakes, as long as you learn from them. If you just keep repeating mistakes, then you’re in trouble. As long as I learn from them, I’ll be all right.”

Rambis pointed to Monday’s come-from-behind victory over the Suns as a sign that he didn’t have his players totally in sync.

“I wasn’t real happy with the way I prepared the team to play in Phoenix,” Rambis said. “We didn’t get out of the gate really well. We didn’t execute the way we’re capable of executing, we didn’t move the ball.

“And I take responsibility for that. I put them in situations that didn’t necessarily get them doing the things I want them doing. . . .

“I was even less happy after I watched the videotape of the game. I let them know that we won, but that doesn’t mean that everything is still OK.”