Harper: Jones Is Coping Well

Derek Harper, who quickly became one of Eddie Jones’ best friends on the team this season, said he spoke with the former Laker guard Wednesday night and that Jones had come to terms with his trade to the Charlotte Hornets.

“Eddie is cool--he doesn’t have a choice, man,” Harper said Thursday. “Eddie has to make the best situation for himself. And Eddie’s going to be fine. He’ll land on his feet. Eddie is a quality guy.

“I don’t know if everybody’s thinking, should he be upset? But he wasn’t upset. He was sort of upbeat and trying to look at the bright side of it.

“Eddie will be fine, because EJ can play basketball. I don’t think they traded him because they thought he couldn’t play. I just think they were trying to better this team.”

Harper, whose locker was next to Jones’, said it was obvious Jones--who wanted to remain a Laker--was becoming unwound by the constant trade talk.

“It literally destroyed him as a player,” Harper said. “I mean, you can sit in your locker and sit around and say, ‘Oh, it’s not a distraction, it’s not a bother.’

“That’s a lie. When you leave here, you take that with you, when you’re being discussed in trades, you’ve been on a team five, six years, they’ve talked about moving you to another team, it weighs on your mind.

“You can only block stuff out for a short period of time. And sooner or later it’s going to have an effect on you.”

*

The trade deadline, at last, passed on Thursday, and the Laker players relaxed almost immediately in the aftermath of the Jones-Glen Rice deal.

“Trade deadline--all that stuff is over now,” said Derek Fisher. “It’s time to go get it done. No more changes, no more new coaches, no more new players.”

Forward Robert Horry was excused from Thursday’s practice by Coach Kurt Rambis so he could fly back home to Houston for personal business, but was expected to return in time for tonight’s game.

TONIGHT vs. Golden State, 7:30 p.m. Fox Sports West

* Site--Great Western Forum.

* Radio--KLAC (570).

* Records--Lakers 15-6, Warriors 9-10.

* Record vs. Warriors (1997-98)--3-1.

* Update--The Lakers, who have won nine straight dating back to Feb. 25, play this home game before embarking on the longest, weirdest trip of the season--a nine-day, six-game journey starting in Sacramento on Sunday and winding to the East and back finishing on March 22, in Dallas.

* Tickets--Sold out.