Lakers Receive Good News

A diagnostic MRI taken Friday on Laker guard Mitch Richmond’s right knee showed no cartilage or ligament damage. The tests were ordered after the knee swelled after several recent workouts at the Laker facility in El Segundo.

Richmond, 36, hyperextended his knee last season, part of the reason he played in a career-low 37 games and averaged six points below his career average for the Washington Wizards.

Team doctors will continue to examine the results of the MRI through the weekend in an attempt to find the cause of the swelling.

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The Lakers have decided to hold their training camp in Honolulu as scheduled, according to team spokesman John Black.

The team will hold its media day Friday and fly afterward to Hawaii, then open camp Saturday.

Because of last week’s terrorist attacks, the NBA canceled two Laker exhibition games in Japan, and thought was given by the Lakers to canceling their Honolulu camp as well and training in El Segundo.

The dates and sites of two makeup games against the Golden State Warriors were not announced. One of them could be played in Honolulu, where the teams already are scheduled to play a game on Oct. 7.

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The Lakers signed former UCLA forward Jelani McCoy to a one-year, partially guaranteed contract.

A free agent who averaged 4.5 points and 3.6 rebounds in 16.3 minutes last season for the Seattle SuperSonics, McCoy would add front-court depth if he makes the roster.

McCoy, who was inconsistent in three seasons in Seattle, worked out for several Laker coaches on Wednesday morning.