O’Neal Wouldn’t Mind Defending This Award

Shaquille O’Neal, whose defense has picked up dramatically this season, has been getting some mention as a potential defensive player of the year but both O’Neal and Coach Phil Jackson said other centers still might have the edge in that department.

“Probably guys like Dikembe [Mutombo] and Alonzo [Mourning],” O’Neal said after Monday’s team meeting before the afternoon flight to Dallas. “See, that’s all they do.

“Well, Alonzo picked up his scoring. But Dikembe, all he does is that running hook, and he gets defensive rebounds. That’s all he does.

“I do everything.”

Was he hoping to get the award?

“I would like that,” said O’Neal, whose 3.05 blocked-shot average ranks behind those of Mutombo, Mourning and Philadelphia’s Theo Ratliff. “I’ve been playing pretty good defense, but I’d still like to pick it up a notch. And usually at playoff time I pick up my game.”

Jackson said O’Neal’s “remarkable” improvement on defense--especially on screen-roll plays--has been one of the keys to the team’s success this season, but said it would hard for anybody who does as many things as O’Neal to also be the best defensive player in the league.

“Right now, there’s about three or four other centers in the league that are above and beyond Shaquille,” Jackson said. “What he can give, with his direction scoring-wise, of course, no one can touch in this league except [Tim] Duncan as a post-up player.

“[But] defensively, Shaquille’s not quite yet in the level with the Mournings and the Mutombos, David Robinson. . . . “

*

O’Neal said his recent eight-day break to rest a sore ankle recharged him for the playoffs.

“Oh, I’m good,” O’Neal said. “I should be good to go for the next two games and then into the playoffs--15 to 20, however many games we’ve got.”

TONIGHT

at Dallas, 5:30 PDT

Channel 9 (6:30, delayed)

* Site--Reunion Arena.

* Radio--KLAC (570).

* Records--Lakers 67-13, Mavericks 38-42.

* Record vs. Mavericks--3-0.

* Update--The Mavericks have been out of the playoff race for more than a month, but have been one of the hottest teams in the league (with a 14-5 record) since releasing Dennis Rodman on March 7. For the Lakers, however, the more significant game tonight is in Sacramento, where the Sacramento Kings play the Seattle SuperSonics. The loser will almost certainly face the Lakers in the first round of the playoffs.