Never Too Early for a Foul Mood

Eventually, the conversation turns to free throws.

It’s that time of year.

Shaquille O’Neal has missed 16 of 24 in four exhibition games, which doesn’t amount to much, except when Phil Jackson says it does.

When teammates say O’Neal is shooting them fine in practice, and when O’Neal says he’ll make them when he makes them, well, it’s October, and there are bigger worries.

Then, nearly four weeks into camp, the coach fields the first question about free throws, and he answers as if he has been waiting for an opening for, oh, four weeks.

“It’s a dire, a scary situation right now,” Jackson said Tuesday night, before the Lakers played the Memphis Grizzlies at the Arrowhead Pond. “It’s reminiscent of his start last year.”

In mid-January last season, O’Neal wasn’t making 40% of his free throws. Eddie Palubinskas, the free-throw specialist, was working overtime. Jackson asked not to discuss O’Neal’s issues, for fear of further pressurizing the situation. The reporter who approached O’Neal with a free-throw agenda took his life into his hands.

It all ended happily for the Lakers, of course. O’Neal didn’t make them all, but enough to foil most of the Hack-a-Shaqs, and the Lakers were much better as a result.

O’Neal doesn’t want to relive those first two months any more than Jackson does. And, frankly, it bothered O’Neal that the topic has come up again, that Jackson said anything about it being dire or scary. Maybe it sounded harsher in the retelling, and Jackson simply was conversational, because O’Neal became angry.

“I got two championships,” O’Neal said. “If people would shut up, I won’t have to change anything. People always talk too much. They’re never satisfied. With two championships, two MVPs. Like that’s not enough.”

O’Neal said he had no plans to rehire Palubinskas.

“He wanted to take the responsibility this year,” Jackson said. “We can always do it, but I want it to be his suggestion.”

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The Lakers waived Peter Cornell, leaving them with 17 players in camp. Though they are allowed to carry 15, including three on the injured list, they probably will cut three more players by opening day.

The remaining cuts likely will come from Ike Fontaine, Joe Crispin, Dickey Simpkins and Mike Penberthy.

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The Lakers routed the Grizzlies, 128-94, in front of 17,457. Kobe Bryant scored 24 points. O’Neal had 19. Samaki Walker had 11 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, two blocks and no turnovers. ... Bryant hasn’t spoken to Jackson regarding the Laker captaincy, but he said he’d accept it. “I trust Phil’s judgment. If he feels like I’m ready to be captain, I’ll be captain.” ... Jelani McCoy needed five stitches to close a cut on his lower lip.