Walker’s Assignment Isn’t Tiny

Samaki Walker practiced Saturday afternoon without a brace on his bruised left knee and shot effortless three-pointers, which would be wonderful for the Lakers if Tim Duncan weren’t coming and Walker were a guard.

Laker Coach Phil Jackson said he believed Walker would be available for his 15- to 20-minute assignment against Duncan, and that Walker’s knee would be sound enough to fend off the leaning, spinning, drop-stepping Duncan, or at least try.

There’s a lot of room between stopping Duncan and trying to, as Walker knows, and as of Saturday he was resigned to the pain he was sure would come with the assignment.

“It’s going to be extremely sore,” Walker said. “There’s nothing we can do about it, just go out and play. The thing we’re trying to do right now is keep it from getting worse. We feel we’ve done that.”

Fortunately for the Lakers, Robert Horry, their other front-line power forward, healed quickly from the bleeding beneath his abdominal muscle and apparently will be available to play extra minutes. Also, Jackson said he liked how aggressively Mark Madsen worked against some of the San Antonio forwards and centers, particularly Malik Rose.

Walker, in an attempt to keep his knee loose, probably will ride a stationary bike when not on the court.

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San Antonio center David Robinson is listed as doubtful because of a sore lower back.

He played seven minutes against Seattle in the first-round series, all in Game 1, and didn’t score.

In four games against the Lakers this season, Robinson averaged 8.8 points and 8.5 rebounds.

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The Lakers haven’t played for a week, since finishing off the sweep of Portland. It is the fourth time in two seasons they’ve had a rest of at least five days, the price of sweeping series.

Last year, after rests of six, five and nine days, the Lakers were 2-1. Their only loss in the past 20 postseason games came after the nine-day respite, to the Philadelphia 76ers in overtime.

After those three breaks, before series against Sacramento, San Antonio and the 76ers, the Lakers shot better than all but Philadelphia, outrebounded every team and had fewer turnovers than every opponent. The breaks suited Shaquille O’Neal; he averaged 38.7 points and 17.3 rebounds.

“It’s a lot of practicing,” Brian Shaw said. “It’s a lot of going over all the fundamental stuff we did at the beginning of the season. But, we wouldn’t trade it for playing.”

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Saddened by the passing of William Duncan, Tim’s father, this week, O’Neal and the Lakers made donations in William’s name to The Tim Duncan Foundation, which benefits nonprofit organizations in the areas of education, health awareness and research, and youth sports.

O’Neal had intended to send flowers to St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, but the family asked that flowers not be sent.

Also this week, the club and O’Neal made separate donations in the name of David March, the sheriff’s deputy killed Monday in Baldwin Park.

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O’Neal, on why he didn’t see any of the other playoff series: “TV corrupts the mind.”

If he watched television, he’d know his Burger King commercial runs about eight times an hour.