They Need a Little Work on Teamwork

It is possible the Lakers could resume functioning well together if after every loss they weren’t strafed by one of their superstars.

But they’re the ones with the championships.

“If it were me, I’d trade them both,” Robert Horry said with a laugh. “Send one to Memphis and one to Utah.”

As it was, they all reported to a previously unplanned practice Wednesday morning in El Segundo that was scheduled right about the time the Golden State Warriors scored the last of their 106 points in Oakland on Tuesday night, dropping the Lakers to 9-14.

Shaquille O’Neal, who waved off reporters the night before -- “Talk to the [guys] that ain’t doing nothing. Don’t talk to me,” he said -- rode an exercise machine and Kobe Bryant had treatment for a variety of ailments, a bruised right elbow the most recent.

After a dreary film session, basketballs hit floor at noon, 14 hours after their 14th loss, a bit of a mess that bought them this practice. Last year, they had 14 losses on Valentine’s Day, and it didn’t look particularly good then, either.

They were only percentage points ahead of last-place Golden State in the Pacific Division, with yet another Eastern swing -- their third already -- looming next week after they play New Orleans on Friday and Orlando on Sunday.

Coach Phil Jackson said he was encouraged by parts of the loss to the Warriors, which didn’t explain the practice but did clarify his breezy view of things.

“We’re all right,” Jackson said. “How many times do I have to tell you guys it’s going to be until the holidays before we can tell about this team?”

Meantime, O’Neal, who entertained reporters and teammates in the weeks of his rehabilitation from toe surgery with humorous stories and other bouts of cleverness, is hardly the same guy anymore.

O’Neal’s recent roast of teammates hardly registered in their locker room, but then, after a late flight and an early report time, it’s possible few saw the papers. While O’Neal and Bryant have been critical of their supporting players and it has led to speculation about roster change, a trade seems unlikely, given the Lakers’ proximity to the salary cap (way over) and the luxury tax (slightly over).

“That’s a management decision,” Horry said. “If they want something fresh, that’s their prerogative. And if the two big dogs want something fresh, that’s their prerogative too.”

The fact is, Horry said, O’Neal and Bryant have had their moments of “doing nothing” -- O’Neal’s words -- too, so maybe it’s time for everyone to get on with things, a sentiment shared by Brian Shaw.

“For three years, these are the same guys who’ve gone to war with Kobe and Shaq,” Shaw said. “To say that now we’re not doing our parts, I don’t think that’s right.”

Shaw said he remembered standing on the championship podiums as a group, though he noted it was O’Neal and Bryant who held aloft the trophies.

“We lose as a team too,” Shaw insisted.

Meantime, if O’Neal is truly unhappy, Shaw figured he’d get it first-hand.

“If he has something to say, he’s man enough to come say it to our faces,” he said. “When he says it to you guys, and you bring it to us, it doesn’t mean anything. There’ll be a lot of things that go on until we right the ship. This is one of those things.”