Madsen, Hightower Now Part of Triangle

Power forward Mark Madsen and shooting guard Corey Hightower do not have much in common, other than that they are the Lakers’ two new draft additions.

Madsen, 24, from Northern California, played at Stanford, where he was nicknamed “Mad Dog” for his rough, tough style of play. As a senior, he earned first-team Academic All-American honors.

Hightower, 20, from Flint, Mich., played his last two seasons at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa, where he gained notice as a scorer. He had almost declared for the draft as a high school senior two years ago.

Jerry West, Laker vice president of basketball operations, loves the contrast but considers the players equally important to the franchise’s future.

“They are two completely different kinds of players,” West said Thursday, after the Lakers’ first summer league practice conducted by Coach Phil Jackson.

“Mark is a terrific rebounder whose effort will be second to none. . . . Corey, he’s really a skilled player. He’s clever and a shot maker but he’s not selfish. We think that we got two players who will have careers in the NBA.”

With the Lakers scheduled to begin play Saturday night in the L.A. Pro Summer League at the Pyramid in Long Beach against Portland at 7:30, Madsen and Hightower were introduced to the triangle offense Thursday morning and it was an eye-opening experience for both.

“We kind of got our feet wet with the offense, in terms of learning the cuts and the angles,” said Madsen, the 29th overall pick who signed a three-year contract reportedly worth more than $2.2 million. “Coach Jackson spent a lot of time going over the fundamentals.”

Added Hightower, the 54th overall selection, who signed a two-year deal with the Lakers on Thursday: “It’s going to be hard to learn. There’s a lot of cuts [in the triangle offense] and reads. You’re going to have to be a real student of the game.”

West said he’s pleased with the team’s summer league roster, which will be coached by assistant Jim Cleamons and includes current Lakers Devean George, John Celestand and Tyronn Lue.

Top free agents on the team are former University of Washington forward Mark Sanford, former New Mexico guard Lamont Long, former Villanova forward Malik Allen and former NBA player and Crenshaw High standout John Williams.

West also said the Lakers are looking at free agents, among them their small forward, Glen Rice. But he added that if Rice is looking for a big-money, long-term contract, that doesn’t mesh with the team’s plans.

“Our job is to cut our payroll and that’s the directive we got from our owner,” West said. “A lot of people may not like it but that’s exactly what we’re going to do.”