Brian Shaw Added for Guard Depth

The latest experienced big guard landing in Laker camp is 10-year veteran Brian Shaw, most recently released by Houston after he was part of the trade that sent Scottie Pippen from the Rockets to the Portland Trail Blazers.

Coach Phil Jackson said Shaw, who worked out with the team recently while he was a free agent, was signed to see if he can help fill the void while Kobe Bryant’s right hand heals.

“We do know that he’s been a quality player in this league for a number of years,” Jackson said Wednesday of Shaw, 33, who has career averages of 8.2 points and five assists.

“He’s been down for a couple of years now and this is an opportunity to get a player that has what we consider a valuable asset to us, which is he can play a big guard, he can originate an offense, he reads defenses pretty well and he’s got some speed.”

Unlike Ron Harper, the 6-foot-6 Shaw has never played in the triangle offense, but Shaw said his background as a big point guard and his many matchups against Jackson’s teams should help him.

“I probably played against it 50 or 60 times in my career,” Shaw said. “It’s a little different playing against it, but being in the Eastern Conference, we played Chicago four times every year from when I was at Boston, Miami, Orlando. . . . We always played them in the playoffs.”

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To make up for the exhibition game they lost because of arena structural problems last week in Little Rock, Ark., the Lakers have added a game Sunday in Bakersfield against the Miami Heat.

That means, after a leisurely two-games-in-seven-days start to the exhibition schedule, the Lakers will play five games in six days--tonight and Friday at the Great Western Forum, Sunday in Bakersfield, Monday in Albuquerque and Tuesday in Las Vegas.

“We’re glad about the game,” Jackson said. “Three in a row, we’re not so glad about. There’s no other option for us.”

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After Tuesday night’s game in San Diego, Jackson made it clear he was unhappy with the play of the second unit, and veterans Robert Horry and Rick Fox.

“We’ve got some guys out there in the second unit who just aren’t giving us anything on the floor,” Jackson said. “The veterans are just not playing well, and it’s unfortunate. And they’re teamed up with some kids that are looking for some leadership.”

Jackson said he kept Shaquille O’Neal, who made only one of his eight free throws, in the game through the fourth quarter to force him to shoot pressure foul shots.

“I wanted Shaq to have to go to the line in a critical situation, and this is the perfect kind of place from the line,” Jackson said. “And I don’t know if this is practicing bad habits or good habits.”