Little Getting Past Medvedenko

Early Friday, the day the Lakers would beat Minnesota, Coach Phil Jackson assigned roles to the scout team that would pretend it was the Timberwolves.

Tyronn Lue, he said, was Terrell Brandon. Mark Madsen was Kevin Garnett. Devean George was Wally Szczerbiak.

Then he pointed at Slava Medvedenko.

“Slava,” he said, “you’re Rasho Nesterovic, even though he’s Slovakian, not Ukrainian.”

Typically stoic, always deferential, and barely four months into the English language, Medvedenko cleared his throat.

“Coach,” he said, “he’s not from Slovakia. He’s from Slovenia.”

The players howled. The coaches grinned. Even Jackson smiled.

Medvedenko is progressing adequately from the knee tendinitis that struck just as the season was to begin. Fortunately for the Lakers, Medvedenko has been able to practice every day anyway. Therefore, his game and comfort with his new culture has grown, and he has become popular with teammates.

“I’m a little bit better every day,” he said. “I’m getting used to it.”

Other than the day the gunman winged a couple of law enforcement officers and then turned an AK-47 on himself in Medvedenko’s Marina del Rey apartment building, Medvedenko said he is enjoying the American lifestyle and the NBA experience. Asked if his time on injured reserve has tempered that, Medvedenko shrugged and said, “It’s OK. It’s what’s important to the team.”

Someday, perhaps, he will be.

“He’s going to be in this league a long time,” Madsen said. “His mid-range jumper is one of the best I’ve ever seen.”

Madsen has become one of Medvedenko’s better friends. They talk a lot. They have dinner on the road.

“Slava’s picked everything up,” Madsen said. “He’s a great guy.”

*

In the last two games, both dynamic victories for the Lakers, Rick Fox has made nine of 15 field-goal attempts, averaged 11.5 points and four rebounds and has been an utter annoyance on defense.

Instead of appearing uncomfortable with the ball, Fox has not hesitated. He has made four of five three-pointers.

By no coincidence, the Lakers have averaged 113 points in those games.

“We’re playing better as a team, honestly,” Fox said. “My game in this system has always been one that feeds off my teammates. The better we play, the better opportunity I have to play better.

“I’m a lot more relaxed in the shots I’m taking. I’m not in such a hurry to get my shot off due to the fact they’re open shots. We’re moving the ball, moving the ball to the open man, whether it’s me or whoever.”

While the defenses have rushed to Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, Fox has had the space to set and shoot.

“Fortunately for me in the last couple of games, the respect level for me compared to Shaq or Kobe has been a little lower,” Fox said. “I end up being the open guy.”

*

Golden State and Minnesota offered little resistance this week for the Lakers, who scored easily and chose a quarter or two to play defense.

“I know that we have a lot of offensive firepower when we play an open game,” Jackson said. “We’ll be back into the slug-it-out game this coming week with Indiana and San Antonio. It’s good for us to have open-floor games, games that are quick for us offensively that require a lot of aggressiveness.”

*

The Lakers did not practice Saturday.

They’ll practice today, then begin a stretch of four games in five days that begins Monday with the Clippers and ends Friday with San Antonio.

Of the Lakers’ four losses, two have come in the second of back-to-back games.