Rider Still Trying to Find His Place

Isaiah “J.R.” Rider is surviving in Los Angeles, if sometimes on the boundary of Phil Jackson’s affection for guys who require great tolerance, and maybe that’s the best anyone could say for him.

The Lakers play the last team to give up on Rider, the Atlanta Hawks, for the first time tonight. An awful team that needs skilled players even though they traded Dikembe Mutombo on Thursday, the Hawks simply released Rider last March.

“It’s a little animosity,” Rider said. “But I don’t want to go out there and get beside myself. We should beat them, so I’m not worried about winning or losing. But I want to shoot a good percentage like I did [Wednesday] and play decent basketball.”

This is not to suggest Rider came to the Lakers, bought an alarm clock, fell in line and became one of Jackson’s happy little soldiers. Not even close.

Here he is, though, playing well enough some nights to be a scoring alternative to Shaquille O’Neal or Kobe Bryant. On other nights, Jackson benches him early and never gives him another thought.

Just this week, Jackson observed, “Expectations, responsibilities, those are terms and words that mean nothing to [Rider].”

But he can play. He has averaged 15 points in his last four games, all starts in place of the injured Ron Harper.

“I try to let it be known that if someone goes down, despite if someone goes down, I can get you 20 a game,” Rider said after scoring 16 points in 29 minutes Wednesday at San Antonio. “I’m trying to establish that. . . .

“I’ll share, because that’s what it’s about right now. You know, having fun, cheering guys on. If you play the right way, there’s no tension. It’s easy to chip in. It’s easy to be there. They’re starting to trust me a little more.”

Jackson, though, seems to think he can keep Rider interested only for brief periods. When asked how he might ride this recent stretch of good will and decent play, Jackson paused and said, “I don’t know. I think one of the things that we have to consider is as long as he starts there’s a certain sense of involvement he has right now--that draws his attention. His focus is much better at that level.”

Harper is expected to return in a week or two. At that point, and assuming no more injuries, Jackson said, he could conceive of no scenario in which Rider would continue as a starter. In the meantime, Rider’s recent efforts have been honest.

“You can tell, my confidence is where it should be, where it has been in every other place I’ve played,” he said. “Up to this point, my confidence wasn’t there. And I wasn’t playing with a passion I had on other teams, to score and to punish the man who was guarding me. So, you know, when Shaq tells me, ‘That’s the J.R. I know,’ or I come in and Kobe says, ‘Great job,’ I know I can do that. So, if I have their consent, I want to have the coaches’ consent, I want to do that every night.”

*

Bryant probably will not play tonight. His sprained right ankle showed only “slight improvement,” said team spokesman John Black, who added that Bryant remained in considerable pain and did not practice Thursday.

“I’m looking at Sunday, optimistically,” Jackson said.

Bryant was unable to play Wednesday against the Spurs after suffering the injury the night before at Dallas.

*

Chick Hearn, who hasn’t missed a Laker game in more than 35 seasons, is expected to broadcast tonight’s game, his 3,273rd in a row. Hearn missed the second half of Wednesday’s game because of laryngitis.

He was improved Thursday after receiving treatment from his Beverly Hills physician.

*

As expected, the Lakers did not make a trade at Thursday’s deadline, deciding the price for an athletic, defensive presence was unreasonable.

They were believed to be mulling a deal for Hawk forward Alan Henderson, among others, in the final hours. The club might consider signing Felipe Lopez, released by the Washington Wizards.

TONIGHT

vs. Atlanta

7:30, Fox Sports Net

* Site--Staples Center.

* Radio--KLAC (570).

* Records--Lakers 35-18, Hawks 18-36.

* Record vs. Hawks (1999-2000)--2-0.

* Update--The Lakers have won four in a row against the Hawks, 10 in a row at home. Told Dikembe Mutombo had been traded, Shaquille O’Neal smiled and said, “That’s good, because I was going to bust his butt tomorrow.”

* Tickets--(800) 462-2849.