At Practice, Jackson Doesn’t Just Sit There

Exactly what does Phil Jackson do?

Those who ask that question see the Laker coach only under game conditions, usually seated, normally under control, appearing at times as uninvolved in the decision making as Jack Nicholson.

It’s a question that would never be asked by anyone who has seen Jackson cracking the whip in practice, or agonizing over decisions.

Even with Michael Jordan, or Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant, you don’t win eight NBA titles, as has Jackson, without being heavily involved.

He was heavily involved at practice Saturday at the HealthSouth Training Center in El Segundo, barking out orders, yelling when a screen wasn’t properly set.

With the playoffs only a month away, has he begun bearing down on his troops for the final push?

“It’s still a little early for that,” he said with a smile. “I don’t know if their attention span is long enough to cover the next three months--April, May and June--and also to do it in March.”

Jackson is still kicking himself for his decision to pass up a morning shoot-around Wednesday. It seemed logical at the time. The Lakers had played at Staples Center Tuesday night, then immediately flown to Salt Lake City. Tipoff Wednesday was 6 p.m. So Jackson let his players sleep in and skip an 11 a.m. shoot-around.

“It showed in the first half,” Jackson said. “We had 14 turnovers. If I had gotten them out of bed after about six hours of sleep for a shoot-around, they might have been a little sharper.”

For once, Jackson agreed with his critics. He didn’t do enough.

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Power forward Samaki Walker, who has been out 10 games because of a hyperextended right elbow, will miss an 11th, sitting out today’s game against the New York Knicks.

Guard Brian Shaw, who sat out Wednesday’s game after bruising his right shoulder the night before against the New Jersey Nets, says he could play today. “For the amount of time he [Jackson] plays me,” said Shaw, averaging 9.7 minutes, “I’m available.”

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TODAY

vs. New York, 3 p.m., Channel 4

Site--Staples Center.

Radio--KLAC (570).

Records--Lakers 42-18, Knicks 23-37.

Record vs. Knicks--1-0.

Update--When the Lakers played the Knicks on Feb. 24 at Madison Square Garden, the problem for onlookers was staying awake. That was also the Lakers’ problem, but they proved they are good enough to sleepwalk and still beat a bad team. Little has changed. The Lakers are the Lakers. And the Knicks are horrible, last in the Atlantic Division and losers of seven of their last 10 and 21 of 28 overall on the road, including seven of nine on the home courts of Western Conference teams.

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Steve Springer