Forward Thinking Pays Off for Jackson

Laker Coach Phil Jackson swapped small forwards Rick Fox and Devean George on the first and second teams against Seattle on Friday night, and the result was better basketball out of the second unit.

Though George continued to struggle, Jackson said he is pondering the same rotations tonight in San Diego, as it spreads triangle familiarity throughout both lineups.

After four exhibition losses, the Lakers were a bit more streamlined in the win over the SuperSonics, shooting and rebounding better and reducing their turnovers.

“It was a better performance from a shooting standpoint, particularly the three-point shots, and recognition of getting the ball to the open man on the three-pointers,” Jackson said. “I think that was the best we’ve done.”

Guards Brian Shaw and Kobe Bryant combined to make seven of nine three-point shots.

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Laker forward Slava Medvedenko, 21 and without an NBA minute, already has an endorsement deal.

He has joined Alexander Volkov as a spokesperson for flowersussr.com, the former Soviet Union’s largest Internet flower delivery business.

Company owner Sasha Krilov played basketball in the Soviet version of high school with Volkov, who became a well-known international player and the country’s sports minister, and also played with the Atlanta Hawks.

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Cory Hightower was referred to by Jackson as “a tweener,” a 6-foot-8 player who lacked the quickness to play guard and the heft to play forward.

He is left-handed, which makes him awkward to guard, and he did make 42% of his three-point attempts last year, his sophomore season at Indian Hills Community College in Iowa. Still, he is behind Mike Penberthy, Emanual Davis and Tyronn Lue for what appears to be the last guard spot.

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Davis will undergo further neurological tests in Los Angeles on Monday morning, between road exhibition games.

Davis will travel with the club and be available for tonight’s game against Golden State at the San Diego Sports Arena. Afterward, as his teammates board a flight to Las Vegas, Davis will return to Los Angeles for the examinations.

According to his schedule, Davis then will fly to Las Vegas in time for Monday’s game against Sacramento at the Thomas & Mack Center.

Suffering from terrible headaches since March, Davis had a CAT scan as recently as August and it showed no abnormalities.

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There are rumors out of San Antonio that Steve Kerr, Jackson’s old reliable shooting guard, could become available.

It does not appear to be a fit for the Lakers, both in terms of personnel and salary-cap issues. The club does have a substantial traded-player exception at its disposal, but probably wouldn’t spend it here.