Harper Rounds Into Shape

Guard Ron Harper, who had off-season arthroscopic knee surgery and joined the Lakers after training camp, says it has taken him several weeks to sharpen his game and feel energy in his legs.

Aside from the Lakers’ frustrations chasing Vince Carter in Sunday’s loss to Toronto--”If he’s six feet above you, I mean, ain’t nothing I can do about it,” Harper said--Harper had one of his better outings, scoring a season-high 15 points and making his first three-point shot.

“I don’t think I’m back where I can play a lot of time and then come back and play the next day,” said Harper, 35. “I mean, I hadn’t touched a ball since the last game of last year. Hey, I know I’m not there.

“Phil [Jackson] said, ‘I know, I see it, you’re not here yet.’ Yesterday was the first day I really had some energy back, legs felt back. . . . It will come.”

Jackson played Harper a season-high 42 minutes in last week’s victory at Phoenix, and Harper said his body paid a price.

“Oh yeah, two-three days, I was tired,” Harper said. “The day afterward, I was through. I couldn’t do anything. I could only sit at home and just sit around the house and think about what the hell I was doing, playing all that time.”

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Jackson, who has basically stayed with the same five starters, said he was considering two lineup changes for Wednesday’s game against Utah, but did not elaborate.