Wishing on a Star

Rudy Tomjanovich tells the story with delight, eyes flickering as he talks about his only trip to SkyBar, the Sunset Strip symbol of conspicuous consumption at which Tomjanovich found himself drinking and dining several years ago.

At one point, Tomjanovich excused himself from his group and asked a patron where the restroom was. He returned to his table to find his friends laughing at him.

The guy that Tomjanovich approached for directions was David Schwimmer, on top of the TV world at the time as one of the “Friends.”

Tomjanovich had no idea. Hollywood has never been his strong suit.

After 34 years with the Houston Rockets as a player, scout, assistant coach and head coach, Tomjanovich has gone west, trading sirloin steak for sushi, stifling humidity for cool ocean breezes.

He won’t be going to SkyBar anytime soon -- he gave up drinking six years ago -- but the Laker coach is adjusting on the fly to a new home in Pacific Palisades, a new level of traffic patterns, a different set of social norms.

So far so good, although he’ll probably get further by broadcasting his affinity for seared ahi tuna rather than boasting of his Texas barbecuing skills that include a mouth-watering pork loin.

Either way, Tomjanovich already is being recognized in the streets as one of the faces of the Lakers, not necessarily a savior but more of a contributing factor to whatever success might come the Lakers’ way. (The Lakers, for the record, put Tomjanovich -- not Kobe Bryant or even Lamar Odom -- on the front of their recently released pocket schedules.) Earlier in the week, Tomjanovich was acknowledged numerous times during a brisk walk along the sidewalk in front of the multimillion-dollar homes that press up against the Manhattan Beach sand.

Tomjanovich, offering a smile or a handshake in return to fans who stopped him, is happy to be here, sunburn, smog and otherwise.

He had planned to take two years off from coaching after overcoming superficial bladder cancer last year, but Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak came calling in July after Phil Jackson’s contract was not renewed.

“I’m sort of surprised I’m here myself,” Tomjanovich said between bites of pumpkin ravioli at a Manhattan Beach eatery. “I didn’t think the opportunity would be presented. I thought the timing would be off.”

It almost was. The Lakers initially offered the job to Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski, who declined after pondering it for almost a week. During that time, “Rudy did pace the floor quite a bit,” said his wife, Sophie.

The Lakers then turned to Tomjanovich, who took quick stock of the roster and, eyes wide open, agreed to become the Lakers’ 16th coach since their move to Los Angeles in 1960.

Bryant had not yet re-signed, and Shaquille O’Neal reiterated his desire to leave the Lakers in a phone conversation with Tomjanovich, saying firmly, “I don’t want you to get the idea I’m going to be here, because I’m not.”

Said Tomjanovich: “I never had the vision that I would coach last year’s Laker team. Stuff had already been said. It didn’t have to be explained. All you had to do was read the paper.

“I’d love to be in a situation where everything was stacked. That just doesn’t seem to be my calling. If you’re going to wait for that to happen, it might never happen. When I was in Houston, it definitely wasn’t a stacked team. We had to build it with acquisitions.”

When Bryant signed with the Lakers on July 15 and sexual-assault charges against him were dropped six weeks later, Tomjanovich had at least one superstar left on the roster. Tomjanovich has long been a fan of Bryant’s game, a notion that was confirmed as he watched Bryant during recent workouts.

“Hakeem [Olajuwon], Clyde [Drexler] were amazing and professional. This guy’s at another level,” Tomjanovich said. “I used to read about the Larry Bird workouts, how they would take place over and over, doing this and that. That’s how Kobe is.

“There are players that their talent allows them to be lax in [certain] areas. I don’t see 1% of that in this guy at all.”

Jordanesque?

“Very much so,” Tomjanovich said.

Tomjanovich will not run the triangle offense -- an up-tempo ideal will be employed instead -- and he will not be as controversial or flamboyant as Jackson. He prefers to settle differences privately and does not challenge players via the media, as Jackson often did.

“A guy could shoot one for 45, and Rudy would not make a sarcastic comment,” longtime Houston Chronicle columnist Fran Blinebury said. “He is undyingly loyal to players, and most of the time he gets loyalty back.”

Tomjanovich’s resolve caught Kupchak’s eye during the interview process. The other candidates to replace Jackson -- Pat Riley, Roy Williams and Krzyzewski -- were relatively silent when reminded by Kupchak that the Laker roster was in flux. Tomjanovich was unfazed.

“He desperately wanted to be the coach of the Lakers,” Kupchak said. “He said, ‘If Shaq’s there and Kobe’s there, great. But if they’re not there, I want to be the coach.’ It was a big leap of faith. Huge.”

Tomjanovich has had to take similar leaps in the past.

After playing 11 seasons for the Rockets, he paid his dues for almost nine years as a Rocket assistant coach before finally getting his shot in February 1992, replacing Don Chaney.

Despite the presence of Olajuwon, the team had been struggling. Olajuwon would score 45 points and the Rockets would still lose, setting up a Hakeem-Against-the-World environment. A more important mantra, Hakeem Trusts His Teammates, was established shortly after Tomjanovich’s promotion.

Tomjanovich implored the guards, even the unpredictable Vernon Maxwell, to throw the ball down low to Olajuwon, and, conversely, told Olajuwon to toss the ball back out to the guards on occasion. Everybody had touches, everybody was happy.

Under Tomjanovich, the Rockets won NBA championships in 1994 and 1995.

Tomjanovich won’t predict similar success for the Lakers -- it’s not his nature -- but with training camp beginning Tuesday in San Diego, Tomjanovich likes his chances.

“I feel good about having a great player like Kobe, and I like the work ethic I’ve seen of these guys who are coming in a couple weeks early,” he said. “It’s really a new era. Everything we start building is a positive.”