Shaq: No Structural Damage

Laker center Shaquille O’Neal has no structural damage in his left foot, according to a CT scan taken Wednesday morning, leaving his arthritic right big toe and sore small left toe as the obstacles to his return.

An MRI exam taken at the same time confirmed O’Neal’s primary nuisance, the arthritis that has occasionally flared over the last two or three years. He was put on the injured list Tuesday, apparently at his request, so will sit out at least five games and return Jan. 4 against Phoenix at the earliest.

“What Shaq wants is to give it an opportunity to rest and see if it will get better by resting it,” Laker Coach Phil Jackson said. “Obviously, it wasn’t one game or two games. He had in mind five games. This was his idea, and we said that’s important, if you feel that strongly about an extended period of time to get this better, so be it.”

Meantime, O’Neal was prescribed rest and various treatments, including anti-inflammatory medication, which he detests, particularly in light of Alonzo Mourning’s kidney ailment.

Slowed somewhat by the pain in his feet, O’Neal’s production fell slightly as the season progressed. He made 17 of 41 field-goal attempts in last week’s trip through Houston and Memphis, and failed to reach double figures in rebounds in two of his last three games.

Chick Hearn, who had open-heart surgery on Dec. 19, is walking around his Encino home and expanding the breathing exercises that will hasten his return to the club.

Marge Hearn, his wife, said Wednesday that Chick continues to progress, that he is watching Laker games on television and recently asked for the team’s schedule, perhaps to chart his return to the broadcast table.

Chick also has started to read through newspaper accounts of his surgery and the end of his 3,338-game streak. The Hearns spent the day before Christmas with their granddaughter, Shannon, and her family, and Christmas Day mostly by themselves, with a short visit by Dr. Michael Soltero, who performed the valve-replacement surgery.

The early estimations on Hearn’s return center on Feb. 6, a home game against the Chicago Bulls after a long road trip, and the last game before the All-Star break.

St. Louis Cardinal Manager Tony La Russa , who spent 10 years with the Oakland A’s, attended the Laker shoot-around Wednesday morning.... Though he was mentioned as a possible replacement for Floyd in Chicago, Laker assistant Jim Cleamons has no interest.