Harper Can See 72 Wins

Ron Harper, the voice of perspective and a steady hand during two seasons of the Lakers’ three-peat, has been spending time in Los Angeles lately, some of those hours shooting “a high score, leave it at that” at Riviera Country Club.

Friday night he stopped by the locker room at Staples Center, poked playfully at Horace Grant, laughed with Kobe Bryant and admired a team he said could challenge the Chicago Bulls’ record of 72 wins.

Retirement has meant watching his daughter play high school basketball and pursuing his golf game. “I chase the sun,” he said.

Asked how good these Lakers could be, Harper said, “Very good.”

Like, 72-win good?

“Oh yeah, they can get us,” Harper said. “I’m sure they can. It’s going to be right there for them. If they do ... my hat’s off to them.”

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Harper occasionally was a mentor to Bryant, particularly as Bryant handled the ball in Phil Jackson’s triangle, a specialty of Harper’s.

Through those times, the two became closer, and Harper sympathizes now with Bryant because of the Laker guard’s legal issues. Harper said he spoke with Bryant over the summer and that they have stayed in touch.

“Half the guys in the NBA would have fallen apart by now,” Harper said. “He’s doing the best he can. Go out, smile, go play basketball. He’s not hiding. He’s not hiding from nobody. We play the game because we have fun playing the game. It’s our chance to step on the floor ... and do something good.

“Once he leaves the court, thoughts come to his mind. But, wait and see.... I knew he was going to be all right. I knew he was going to be fine.... The hard part would have been if he didn’t have the games. The games give him a chance to be free.”

As to whether Bryant would leave the Lakers after the season, Harper raised his eyebrows and smiled.

“Wait and see,” he said. “Time will tell. You never know what could happen.”

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The league has chosen not to pursue an incident that occurred at Staples Center between Maverick owner Mark Cuban and a fan after Wednesday night’s game against the Clippers.

Cuban told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that a fan reached out and grabbed Cuban’s arm as Cuban left the floor, and that he freed himself by pushing the fan away.

“I pushed him, told him to get off [and] stay away from me, and then I walked over to security and pointed him out and went to the locker room. I don’t know what happened to him after that,” Cuban told the Star-Telegram.

“It happens, no big deal,” he added. “I get heckled more than the players on the road, and sometimes there is an idiot out there, but that’s just part of the deal.”

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George Karl became Gary Payton’s coach before the 1991-92 season, Payton’s second in the league, and they served seven seasons together in Seattle. They resumed the relationship last season in Milwaukee, briefly.

Karl is now an analyst for ESPN and worked Friday night’s game against the Dallas Mavericks. Payton and Karl still talk, and Karl has noticed a difference in this Payton.

“I think the last couple years in Gary’s career, he had a little anger because of the Seattle situation,” Karl said. “Deep down inside he wanted to retire in Seattle. When that fell apart, he’s come down there. He loves to compete and he’s playing for a championship again. He seems a lot more relaxed.”