Mihm Sees a Bright Side to Big Changes

The Lakers have undergone a massive upheaval: coach gone, superstar center gone, triangle offense gone, championship potential seemingly gone.

Dark days ahead for the franchise? Try telling that to Chris Mihm, and you’ll get a wide grin from the 7-foot, 265-pounder, who will be battling Brian Grant and perhaps Slava Medvedenko for playing time behind center Vlade Divac. Where others see ruins, Mihm sees building blocks.

Yes, Phil Jackson is gone as coach, but he has been replaced by Rudy Tomjanovich, who is planning on a long stay.

“I went through five coaches in three years with the Cleveland Cavaliers, the model for instability,” Mihm said.

The triangle is gone, but it has been replaced by an up-tempo running game that he hopes will mean substantial minutes.

“One of my strengths is running the floor,” said Mihm, a swimmer and tennis player growing up in Texas. “We are going to do some things they didn’t do in the half-court game.”

Mihm isn’t about to minimize the loss of center Shaquille O’Neal, but ...

“Shaq and I are totally different,” he said. “There has never been a player like Shaq before, and who knows if there will ever be one like him again. I would never claim to be Shaq. But I feel I can bring a lot to this team.”

With the 36-year-old Divac out because of a herniated disk in his back, the 25-year-old Mihm has an opportunity to show what he can do, and he made the most of it in Tuesday’s exhibition opener against the Seattle SuperSonics, blocking six shots.

That is a Mihm specialty. At Texas, he was the school’s all-time leader in blocked shots with 264.

“I see a door opening here for him,” Tomjanovich said. “He plays with a little bit of an edge.”

Mihm will need sharp edges if he gets appreciable playing time against Tim Duncan, Yao Ming and the other dominating big men in the league.

“I will never be intimidated by anybody,” Mihm said. “It’s basketball. I know my talent. You can’t go out there showing fear. If you do, you don’t belong on the court.”

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On their first day back at their HealthSouth training headquarters in El Segundo following preseason camp in San Diego, Tomjanovich worked the Lakers longer than expected Saturday, a planned 90-minute session stretching to two hours.

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The Lakers resume their exhibition schedule tonight against the Golden State Warriors at Centennial Gardens in Bakersfield. The Lakers will play the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night at the Save Mart Center in Fresno.... Grant, bothered by a sore neck, is expected to play a quarter tonight.