O’Neal Expects to Regain His Touch

It seems a small thing, given his sudden bent toward Bill Russell rebounds, Bill Russell blocks and Bill Russell attitude.

But, if Shaquille O’Neal were to continue shooting at his current rate of 54.6%, it would be the lowest of his career. It also probably would lead the NBA, as it does now.

O’Neal made 17 of 23 field-goal attempts in the Lakers’ losses to Dallas and Portland, yet the touch on his short jumpers and hooks has been spotty for weeks, and at times he has appeared frustrated by it.

“I’m missing a lot of shots,” he said.

A Laker employee close enough to overhear the conversation regarding O’Neal’s release called the questions “stupid” and the reporter “stupid” for asking them, so it is a sore subject in some places.

Apparently not with O’Neal, who is getting fewer shots with Karl Malone and Gary Payton around, but generally has been happy with the offense and the overall results. The Lakers are 18-5 and still learning where everyone is going to be when the ball crosses half court.

O’Neal, who led the league in field-goal percentage for five consecutive seasons before Chicago’s Eddy Curry overtook him last season, smiled and shrugged.

“I’m leading the league, ain’t I?” he said.

The fretful team employee was not Coach Phil Jackson, who held a contrary opinion.

“He’s not shooting the ball well,” Jackson said. “We did a lot of individual things in post-up offense today, trying to get him to catch and shoot the ball a little bit in post play, to try and find that. Some of his favorite shots look like they’re low off the backboard, you know? ... I don’t know if he’s not getting enough lift or if he’s not reading the backboard well.”

Overall, the first seven weeks of the season have been among the best of his career, and O’Neal said he was sure his shooting touch would return.

“I’m just going with the flow right now,” he said.

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Kobe Bryant was suffering from flu-like symptoms, according to team officials, and did not attend Monday’s practice.

They play again Friday against the Denver Nuggets, a game Bryant could miss because of a motions hearing that day in Eagle, Colo.

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In Dallas, they chuckled at O’Neal’s promise to pay back Maverick Coach Don Nelson and his Hack-a-Shaq by shooting for 50 points on Jan. 22, the next time the Lakers play the Mavericks.

“I ain’t laughing,” O’Neal said Monday after practice. “You tell [Nelson] that. I ain’t laughing.”