Out With Old Guys

The Lakers continued to cobble together a new identity Friday by trading Gary Payton, who never quite fit despite his snug nickname, and dependable veteran Rick Fox to the Boston Celtics, a move that made the Lakers younger and even less recognizable than the unit that bottomed out in Detroit seven weeks ago.

In return for Payton and Fox, the Lakers received point guard Chucky Atkins, who is penciled in as a starter, reserve center Chris Mihm and erratic, but entertaining, young guard Marcus Banks. The Lakers sent about $2 million to the Celtics and gave up a conditional first-round pick in next year’s draft for Boston’s second-round selection.

With Payton gone, all that remains of the five personalities from last season are Kobe Bryant and, perhaps, Karl Malone. While Phil Jackson restores his sense of natural order by building a home in Montana, Shaquille O’Neal has been actively recruiting Malone to join the Miami Heat since O’Neal was shipped there last month.

Malone and Payton have been joined at the hip since they signed with the Lakers on the same optimistic day last summer, but it is unclear whether Malone will stay with the Lakers now that Payton, O’Neal, Fox and Derek Fisher have left.

Fox, a starter on the last two Laker championship teams and a Laker fixture for seven seasons, probably will retire rather than move back to the place his NBA career began, league sources said.

Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak discussed the trade with reporters Friday at the Lakers’ training facility, where the large glossy individual photos of last year’s players were taken down from one of the walls, a practical move given the recent trades that have left Bryant and Devean George as the only holdovers from the team that won three championships.

“We’re hopeful that with the changes that we’ve made, and with the younger players, that we put ourselves in a position where we don’t have to experience three or four years of mediocrity,” Kupchak said. “We hope we can be in position to compete right away, make a playoff spot, be in position to advance in the playoffs, and at the same time have a good mix of young players who are maybe with us for the next 10 years.”

Payton, a nine-time All-Star, never fully meshed with Jackson’s triangle offense, and he stumbled badly in the playoffs, averaging 7.8 points. Only after Jackson’s post-Finals departure did Payton execute his one-year, $5.4-million option to play for the Lakers next season.

Payton, 36, did not have a no-trade clause in his contract, but he was strongly reluctant when told of the trade and needed assurances Friday from Celtic General Manager Danny Ainge and Coach Doc Rivers, who were dispatched to Los Angeles to soothe Payton.

Payton, a decidedly West Coast guy with homes in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Oakland, met with Ainge and Rivers in what could be called animated tones.

“Gary was very respectful and very excited that we had so much interest in him, but it’s a difficult situation,” Ainge told the Boston Globe. “He has a 16-year-old daughter starting high school and he’s 36 years old and thought he was finishing [his career] in L.A. He’s very shocked that the Lakers traded him.”

Fox, 35, has been slowed by foot and thumb injuries, although it is impossible to discount his role as a facilitator who stood between O’Neal and Bryant when necessary. A team spokesman of sorts, Fox was not cut from the same athletic mold of Malone or Bryant, but he was always willing to talk to the media and was known as a big-picture thinker who kept his eyes on the full season, not the pitched battles that crept in and out of the Laker locker room through the years.

Fox said before the playoffs he would rather retire than play anywhere outside of Los Angeles. Kupchak contacted Fox on his cellphone and discussed the trade with him while Fox was playing golf Friday afternoon. Fox, like Payton, was not happy.

“Rick has established Los Angeles as his home and I think this is the place he wants to live,” Kupchak said.

Kupchak also put in a call to Malone, who was on his ranch in Arkansas. Malone underwent knee and finger surgeries after the season, but his health is improving, Kupchak said.

“He sounded like he was in the field,” Kupchak said. “He might have been cutting wood. He might have been hunting, as far as I know. He sounded upbeat and very excited about the possibility of his leg getting better quicker and quicker.”

Upbeat enough to return to the Lakers?

“He gives me the feeling that L.A. is where he wants to be, but he hasn’t signed a contract yet,” Kupchak said. “When we do our depth chart upstairs, we do certain guys in pen and certain guys in pencil based on if they’re signed and if they’re not signed, and he’s in pencil. We can’t say he’s going to be here next year because he hasn’t signed, but I get the feeling this is where he wants to be.”

Atkins, who will turn 30 next week, is a quick point guard who helped the Celtics advance to the playoffs after being acquired from the Detroit Pistons before the trade deadline. Atkins has two years left on his contract at $4.2 million next season and $4.5 million in 2005-06.

“I’m overly excited,” Atkins told the Boston Globe. “It’s been well-documented how badly Kobe wants to win. I want to win and I know since Shaq left everybody is putting the Lakers off as far as not making the playoffs. We want to be a team that says ‘Hey man, we can play against anybody and beat anybody.’ I’m excited for a new beginning with a new team that also has a lot of tradition.”

Mihm, a seven-footer, has struggled with inconsistency and has career averages of 6.9 points and five rebounds in four years with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Celtics. He was the seventh overall pick in the 2000 draft but was traded from the Cavaliers to Boston last season. Mihm, 25, signed a three-year deal Friday with the Lakers for unannounced terms.

Banks, selected 13th overall in last year’s draft, will back up Atkins and could be the wild card of the trade. He is prone to turnovers, but his speed caught the eye of Laker coaches.

“He does have a skill level that not a lot of other players have,” Kupchak said. “He does have to improve his understanding of the game. He can be an impact player in this league if he continues to improve. Whether it’s this year, this training camp or at the end of the year, or two years from now, I don’t know.”

The Celtics would not get the Lakers’ first-round pick if the Lakers are in the draft lottery. If that happens, the Celtics get the Lakers’ first-round pick in 2006.

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Laker Lineup

Pending Coach Rudy Tomjanovich’s decision on how to use the pieces he has been handed, and any other player moves still to be made, here is the Lakers’ probable starting lineup, with averages for 2003-04:

*--* Pos Player Pts Reb Ast C Vlade Divac 9.9 5.7 5.3 PF Brian Grant 8.7 6.9 0.9 SF Lamar Odom 17.1 9.7 4.1 SG Kobe Bryant 24.0 5.5 5.1 PG Chucky Atkins 8.4 1.5 3.5

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THE TRADE

CHRIS MIHM

Center * 7-0

Four-year veteran has career averages of 6.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, but gives Lakers additional muscle underneath.

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CHUCKY ATKINS

Guard * 5-11

A starter in fewer than half of his 371 games in the NBA, he could end up as Laker point guard of choice.

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MARCUS BANKS

Guard * 6-2

As a rookie out of UNLV last season, led NBA in steals per 48 minutes (3.05) and scored 5.9 points per game.

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GARY PAYTON

Guard * 6-4

At 36, takes Hall of Fame credentials to the East, after posting lowest scoring average (14.6) since 1993.

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RICK FOX

Forward * 6-7

Returns to the team with which he spent his first six seasons, averaging a career-high 15.4 points in 1996-97.

LAKER ROSTER...D8

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Changed Men

New-look Laker roster for the upcoming season and comments for each player (members of 2003-04 team are shaded):

*--* PLAYER HT P COMMENT CHUCKY ATKINS 5-11 G Penciled in as the starting point guard. MARCUS BANKS 6-2 G Intriguing player with speed but is also turnover-prone. KOBE BRYANT 6-6 G It’s his team now. KAREEM RUSH 6-6 G Could be Bryant’s top backup at shooting guard. SASHA VUJACIC 6-7 G Rookie from Slovenia will get some time at the point. CARON BUTLER 6-7 F Will be one of the first forwards off the bench. BRIAN COOK 6-9 F After a quiet rookie season, it’s uncertain how much playing time he’ll get. DEVEAN GEORGE 6-8 F Will probably miss the start of the season after undergoing ankle surgery last month. BRIAN GRANT 6-9 F If Karl Malone decides to return, he’ll start at power forward. If not, Grant gets the call. SLAVA MEDVEDENKO 6-10 F Just re-signed for two more seasons, could be more of a factor in up-tempo offense. LAMAR ODOM 6-10 F Could be the league’s tallest small forward at 6 feet 10. LUKE WALTON 6-8 F Had a notable rookie season, will need to fight for more playing time. VLADE DIVAC 7-1 C Averaged only 9.9 points last season with the Kings, but happy to be back in L.A. MARCUS DOUTHIT 6-11 C Unsigned second-round pick must deal with legal issues. CHRIS MIHM 7-0 C Still a project after four years in the league, he will be Divac’s backup.

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