Buss: Shaq Wrong on Kobe Orders

Jerry Buss, owner of the Lakers, said Thursday night that he did not dictate Kobe Bryant’s playing time to former coach Del Harris, despite Shaquille O’Neal’s version to the contrary in a new book, “Shaq Talks Back.”

“I’ve never done anything like that,” Buss said. “But Shaq wouldn’t say it unless he thought it were true.”

He added that he would discuss the matter with O’Neal, though perhaps not in a formal setting.

“I will talk to Shaq about it, to find out why he thinks this,” Buss said. “Perhaps someone misinformed him.”

In the not-yet-released book, O’Neal contended Buss personally handled Bryant’s early playing time from the owner’s box.

“Every time Del put [Bryant] on the bench, somebody would run downstairs,” O’Neal said. “‘Buss said, ‘Put him back in the game now.’ ”

Harris, fired by the Lakers two years ago, could not be reached for comment. He is an assistant coach with the Dallas Mavericks.

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The Lakers have the same issues today--an alarming lack of defense chief among them--as they had Wednesday night, and last week, and last fall.

Nothing has changed since Antawn Jamison dropped 51 points on them in early December, prompting the start of the Lakers talking about playing more defense, and marking the beginning of the end of their championship aura. Championship teams generally don’t give up 100 points a game.

All of which makes them only a decent team, probably capable of repeating last season’s championship, but clearly not preordained to do so.

It means that come May, and June if they’re that fortunate, they’ll have to win some critical road games in some very loud, very boorish places, because home-court advantage through more than a round or two appears unlikely. Again, it’s the defense.

Only Detroit, Washington, Denver and Golden State yield more points per game than the Lakers.

As O’Neal said in the wake of the loss to Denver, “We just can’t let games like this happen again.”

O’Neal is shooting free throws with marginal proficiency, which is better than the alternative, and he appears hale again. Bryant, on two rickety ankles, scored 38 points and came within four assists of a triple-double on Wednesday in Denver, his first game in a week.

That O’Neal and Bryant appear to be less awkward in each other’s worlds would seem to be progress. They looked comfortable in the offense against Denver, even in a defeat that so disappointed Coach Phil Jackson that many players believed Jackson’s refusal to cancel Thursday’s film session had a castigatory edge to it.

“Defensively,” Jackson said, “we just didn’t make the big plays.”

Here’s another issue: In three games with Bryant on the bench, Rick Fox and Brian Shaw combined to average 31 points. Together, they were 32 for 63 from the field. They had 35 rebounds. When Bryant returned in Denver, Fox was two for nine from the floor, and Shaw was two for eight. Horace Grant scored 10 points in the first quarter, four in the other three. Isaiah “J.R.” Rider? Thirteen minutes, six points, no factor.

After the game, Jackson was asked why he started Shaw over Rider. Jackson mistook the question for why Shaw played all the fourth-quarter minutes over Rider. The answer was more telling Jackson’s way.

“There wasn’t any, even thought about going with J.R.,” Jackson said. “I mean, he got us out of whack at the end of the third quarter. A defensive transition wasn’t done right. They got six quick points at the end of that quarter that changed the game around. That was a strike already, in a position that was difficult. J.R. was shooting it. If he could finish off his game [with defense], then it was his game to play.”

Given a chance to close out a road game that would have extended their winning streak to five games and further boosted an improving locker-room chemistry, the Lakers gave up 32 points in the fourth quarter and lost by six. “Just another game we let slip away,” O’Neal said.

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In his first game back, Bryant played 45 minutes.

“He asked me not to let him sit for very long on the bench because he felt it would stiffen up and lock up on him,” Jackson said.

Despite the minutes, Bryant’s sprained right ankle showed improvement Thursday, a very light practice day for the Lakers. He is expected to play Saturday afternoon in Vancouver.

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Despite agent David Falk’s claims otherwise, Laker officials reiterated Thursday they have no interest in veteran guard Rod Strickland, waived by the Washington Wizards. . . . Ron Harper seems at least a week away from returning from the injured list. He had a slight setback after working out Wednesday. . . . Robert Horry, who removed himself from Wednesday night’s game at Denver, is not believed to have a serious injury. He has a sore back and sore knees. . . . Derek Fisher is scheduled to participate in a full-contact scrimmage Monday, the final step to returning to the active roster.