Lakers Must Do Without O’Neal

Shaquille O’Neal’s season got a little shorter again, and the Lakers’ might have grown a little longer, though not as long as they feared.

The pivotal piece of the Lakers’ attempt to repeat their NBA championship, O’Neal will sit out at least the next two games because of a strained right arch, a diagnosis made Thursday by foot specialist Dr. Phillip Kwong.

While Laker officials privately worried that O’Neal had suffered a stress fracture, which would have ended his season, an MRI and CT scan found no such structural irregularities. The tests also ruled out a torn ligament or tendon as the source of O’Neal’s pain.

O’Neal will be reexamined Wednesday by Kwong. In the best case, O’Neal could play Wednesday night against Phoenix. More likely, assuming the next examination shows improvement, he will sit out that game and the NBA All-Star game on Feb. 11, then play Feb. 13 at New Jersey. It is possible O’Neal will require even further time to heal.

In any circumstance, O’Neal expects to attend the All-Star weekend in Washington.

“I think it’s good news,” O’Neal’s agent, Leonard Armato, said Thursday night. “He sees a clear path toward coming back and playing.”

At the same time, Armato said, “The doctor indicated at least a week and then more evaluation. It’s important that he not rush back. This can be prolonged if he came back too quickly.”

That final point might have been lost on O’Neal, who has been sidelined the last three games, two of them Laker defeats.

When told of the strain, O’Neal brightened and asked Kwong if he would be allowed to play tonight, when the Lakers play host to Charlotte. After consulting with Laker physician Steve Lombardo, Kwong told O’Neal he was not to consider playing any time before Wednesday. He will continue treatment.

It was determined that O’Neal suffered the injury because of the frequent pounding taken by his size-22 feet, and because they naturally roll toward his arch upon landing. He was fitted Thursday for an orthotic piece for his right shoe, a device doctors hope will cushion and support the arch.

O’Neal said he experienced discomfort for about a week before he first complained about it, last Friday in a victory against the New Jersey Nets. Precautionary X-rays were negative, but he has not played since. He has shown slight improvement in the last few days.

Injuries have hounded O’Neal in the season after his first championship. Among other ailments, he had injuries to both thumbs, his left Achilles’ and ankle, and now the right arch, diagnosed by a New York Knick team physician Sunday as plantar fasciitis.

Still, he has kept his production near last season’s MVP numbers. He ranks fifth in the league in scoring (26.9), second in rebounds (12.8), third in blocked shots (2.95) and first in shooting percentage (57.1).

The Lakers have not responded as well to the test of defending their title. They have lost five of their last 10 games and already have lost more games this season (16) than they did last season (15), primarily because of defensive problems.

While O’Neal is ailing, Kobe Bryant, the NBA’s leading scorer, has pushed through a painfully sore right shoulder. Another starter--veteran forward Horace Grant--has a sore knee and was unable to play Wednesday in Minnesota.

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Minus Shaq

A look at the Laker record without Shaquille O’Neal each season:

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Year No Shaq With Shaq 2000-01 2-3 (.400) 26-13 (.667) 1999-2000 1-2 (.333) 66-13 (.835) 1999 0-1 (.000) 31-18 (.633) 1997-98 15-7 (.682) 46-14 (.767) 1996-97 18-13 (.581) 38-13 (.745) Overall 36-26 (.581) 207-71 (.745)

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