Medvedenko Takes Over George’s Roster Spot

Slava Medvedenko, the 21-year-old forward from Ukraine, was activated from the injured list and dressed for Tuesday night’s game at Miami.

He took the roster spot of Devean George, who has a sore throat and an ear infection. George, who has averaged seven minutes and 1.7 points in his second season, must remain on the injured list for at least five games.

The Lakers had hoped George would play his way into a regular place in the rotation. Instead, he was inconsistent early and his minutes declined.

“This is not a game that’s meant for Slava,” Coach Phil Jackson said. “But, if we need to play him, if it’s necessary to have a body out there to take care of the job, we’ll do it.

“He’s playing really well in practice, but in a structured situation it’s going to be entirely different--with the referees and the game situations, the climate of offensive execution and hand signals from the bench to the court.”

The 6-foot-10 Medvedenko didn’t play against the Heat.

Fellow rookie Mark Madsen has raved about Medvedenko’s mid-range jump shot. Robert Horry said Tuesday that Medvedenko is quicker than he looks.

The issue, Horry said, is communication.

“If he knew English better, it would really help him,” Horry said.

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The oft-denied story of Shaquille O’Neal using sign language to keep the basketball away from Kobe Bryant is getting a lot of play in a lot of places. Everyone loves the intrigue of it, whether it’s true or not.

“[Bull],” Jackson said. “Pretty tough to get that accomplished out there on the court.

“It’s impossible to happen. If you’re playing basketball, it just can’t happen. You’re just playing the game, instinctively doing the right thing.”

O’Neal said he was insulted by the allegation.

“I wouldn’t do that,” he said.

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Bryant and former teammate Eddie Jones guarded each other for most of the Lakers’ 81-79 victory. Bryant was nine for 24 for 23 points, six fewer than his league-leading average, and Jones was five for 13 for 14 points, four fewer than his team-leading average.

“We exchanged numbers after the game,” Bryant said. “We haven’t talked in a long time, but he’s my boy. He looked out for me when I first came into the league.”

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If rookie Mike Penberthy continues to play and produce, the Lakers will push for him to play in the rookie game on All-Star weekend and compete in the three-point-shooting contest.

Among rookies, Penberthy ranks in the top 11 in scoring (6.4 points), field-goal percentage (46.6), steals (0.55), three-point percentage (41.7), assists (1.8) and minutes played (18.6).

Penberthy, who has been in a shooting slump, said his right shoulder is sore but that he could play with it.

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In early All-Star voting, Bryant leads Western Conference guards with about 70,000 more votes than runner-up Jason Kidd.

Among centers, O’Neal has a 230,000-vote lead on David Robinson.

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Among the many congratulatory messages received by O’Neal since he graduated from Louisiana State was one from NBA Commissioner David Stern. . . . Alex Rodriguez attended Tuesday night’s game, presumably on comped tickets. Rodriguez sat beside agent Scott Boras, cast as the villain everywhere but in Texas. “I left my horns at home,” Boras said. . . . A.C. Green played in his 1,136th consecutive game.