Horry Is OK With Reserve Role

Robert Horry came off the bench for the first time in a month Wednesday, then said he assumed he was no longer a starter, which didn’t bother him at all.

Samaki Walker, healed from a hyper-extended elbow, said he believed his start was simply spot duty, long enough to defend San Antonio forward Tim Duncan, and that that was fine.

What is known is that Coach Phil Jackson desires a strong and rested Horry by the playoffs, so playing Horry 41 minutes in Tuesday’s rout in Dallas was probably a mistake. After giving the impression in previous seasons that he preferred to come off the bench, Horry flourished as a starter since Feb. 17, two days after Walker suffered his elbow injury.

“I think it’s permanent, back to the old days,” Horry said. “I’m all right with that.”

Horry played only 17 minutes in a 108-90 Spur victory. He took one shot, missed it, and had one rebound. By the time he entered the game, with five minutes left in the first quarter, Duncan had six points and the Spurs led by seven.

Walker, who has shown steady improvement since coming to the Lakers from the Spurs last summer, played 16 minutes, scored two points and committed five fouls. He said the job is Horry’s, if Jackson so chooses.

“It really doesn’t matter one way or the other,” he said.

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Turns out, Jackson’s local Monday afternoon radio show is not at all about the material gains. It’s a public service.

“With the misinformation most of the press deals with,” Jackson said, smiling, “it’s better coming from the horse’s mouth than diluted and regurgitated.”

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On that theme, Jackson has become something of a mentor for Dallas Maverick Coach Don Nelson, apparently.

Nelson said he had no problem with Jackson dragging Tuesday’s 16-point blowout through near-endless fouls and timeouts at the end. He simply hoped to learn something.

“It’s all good,” Nelson said. “I’m a big fan of Phil’s, what he’s done, being the greatest coach in the league for many years now. Between he and Red Auerbach, you can flip a coin between who’s the greatest coach of all time. I actually copy and steal some of the things he’s done.”