Saying He’s Ready, Shaq Practices

The Lakers are nearly whole now, 13 days into training camp.

Shaquille O’Neal practiced Thursday, for the first time since toe surgery six weeks ago, and afterward announced he would play Oct. 30, when the Lakers open their season against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Phil Jackson again stood behind the whistle, nine days after he left the team to attend his mother’s funeral in Montana, and ordered two-a-days for the weekend. He said it was good to be back.

While Derek Fisher and Mark Madsen remain unable to practice and likely won’t be around for the Trail Blazers, Fisher was examined by team physicians on Thursday. Dr. Phil Kwong told the club that Fisher was healing “uneventfully and nicely,” and cleared him for further activity. He’ll be examined in about three weeks. Madsen, who had off-season surgery on his left wrist, is scheduled to be examined today.

Meantime, the Lakers are becoming recognizable again. Kobe Bryant, O’Neal and Jackson were on the same floor for the first time since Game 5 of the NBA Finals in Philadelphia, almost four months ago. Bryant missed the camp’s first five days because of the death of his grandfather.

“We’re getting there,” Rick Fox said. “I’d love to have Derek and Mark back in the mix, also. But, we’ll take what we can get. It’s better than we were.”

O’Neal ran through a handful of drills and so started the daily process of returning to regular-season shape.

“I didn’t feel the pain I was feeling, so I thought I’d give it a shot,” he said. “They didn’t really let me do much. But, I’ll be back the first game.”

He arrived having shaved his head and face, his preferred in-season, aerodynamic look.

“Time to get back to work,” he said.

Not too fast, though.

“He was willing to do more on the court than I was willing to let him,” Jackson said. “He looked like he’s moving well ... but [let’s] not jump ahead too far forward in his practice schedule.”

Jackson said it was “reasonable” for O’Neal to expect to play opening night, and that he could play as soon as Tuesday’s exhibition in Bakersfield.

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Jackson said he favored having the team’s ring and banner ceremony Oct. 30, on the same night the team would honor the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.

“We can take a breath and we can do the ring ceremony, if that’s the way it should go,” he said. “Those decisions don’t mean that much to me. We have a statement, ‘You’re only a success at the time of your successful act.’ We were champions last year after we beat Philadelphia. Let’s get [the ceremony] over with, hand the rings out, not delay the process.”