Contract Talks Linger

The Lakers reached January without contract extensions for Shaquille O’Neal or Phil Jackson, negotiations having lingered since late summer for Jackson and mid-fall for O’Neal.

While those with knowledge of the talks still believe the contracts will come, it might not be until summer. Jackson’s agent was in Los Angeles recently and left, apparently, without significant progress.

Jackson said Friday night that he has asked to stay out of contract conversations until there is something significant to consider. In the meantime, it is becoming possible he could serve out his lame-duck season without a contract and -- like Kobe Bryant, in essence -- become a free agent in the summer, perhaps pushing Jerry Buss’ cost even higher.

O’Neal’s contract can be extended by two years. By summer, the collective bargaining agreement would allow him to extend by three. Asked about progress on Friday, O’Neal shrugged.

“Jerry Buss ain’t waiting on me,” he said. “I’m waiting on him. But I’m not worried.”

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Wondering what Karl Malone was doing Friday?

“I know,” Bryon Russell said. “Home, mad because he’s not here playing.”

Malone did manage to avoid the injured list for another day, if not necessarily because there was improvement in his sprained right knee. Jackson said he was beginning to think Malone would need a lot more time off the floor.

“I’m not going to put any time on it because I don’t think it’s fair to him, and it’s unfair to our fans,” Jackson said. “This is the kind of thing where ... doctors would just say put somebody in a brace for a couple weeks and let it heal and take four to six weeks before thinking about coming back. However, because of who he is and his invulnerability, we gave him the opportunity to come back.”

Now, Jackson said, “It’s probably even impeding his progress. So, we just need to back off a little bit, let him find a rhythm where he can come back and heal that tendon.”

Malone suffered the injury Dec. 21. Shortly thereafter, he said doctors told him it could be a month or two before he returned to the floor.

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One of Jackson’s early memories of Gary Payton was from Payton’s rookie season, Jackson said, when the Chicago Bulls and Seattle SuperSonics played an exhibition game in Vancouver.

Payton, he said, talked nonstop at Michael Jordan, who remembered the affront when the teams met again in the regular season and went looking for Payton. Jackson recalled Jordan going for a quick 10 points.

“Just bang-bang-bang on him,” Jackson said. “But [Payton] was undaunted. He just kept right at him.”

And a mouth was born.

“He’s probably one of the most outspoken people in this league,” Jackson said, grinning. “You think about Reggie Miller and Gary Payton as two guys who will talk a little bit out there. Gary’s much louder than anybody else.”

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A few of Payton’s teammates kidded him about his reaction to Howard Schultz, the SuperSonic owner Payton believes misled him before trading him out of Seattle.

Many of them referenced Latrell Sprewell, who confronted New York Knick Chairman James Dolan courtside last week when Sprewell’s Minnesota Timberwolves went to Madison Square Garden.

“Now you can’t just talk to him,” one Laker said, laughing. “Now you gotta touch him.”