It’s Not Like Old Times but the Kings Are Next

So much for the great Laker-Sacramento King rivalry.

The teams used to hate each other so much they fought even in exhibition games. It’s not going to be that way when they meet tonight in Fresno.

The Kings are just off the plane from Shanghai where they played Saturday. Sacramento’s Doug Christie has been out, Rick Fox has retired, Shaquille O’Neal, who called the Kings “Queens,” is in Miami and Vlade Divac, whom O’Neal sneered at for flopping, is a Laker.

Oh, and the Lakers are into their next incarnation.

“Sacramento has a lot of experience and we’re a young team,” Kobe Bryant said Monday. “It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a competitive game....

“You know what? I don’t think these guys even care. The rivalry doesn’t exist anymore. Their center plays for us, you know what I mean? The rivalry’s kind of old hat now.

“So there’s no rivalry, without them beating us once.”

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The Lakers discovered 20-year-old Sasha Vujacic, a 6-foot-7 point guard from Slovenia, in Italy. Coach Rudy Tomjanovich got a look at him in the summer league. Laker fans began to find out who he was Sunday when he made two key three-pointers in the exhibition victory over Golden State.

“Yeah, he has surprised me,” Bryant said. “I’d never seen him play till we got to training camp. His talent level surprised me. He has a high basketball IQ. He has a world of potential.”

The Lakers drafted Vujacic with the 27th pick in the first round, and were happy about it after seeing him in the summer league.

“He’s energy,” says Tomjanovich. “He’s young but he’s going to give it out there. I thought he gave us a big spark offensively....

“Sometime you can overdo it out on the floor ... but that’s better than having a guy who’s lackadaisical and you’ve got to pump him up. I’m very pleased with what he’s doing. He changed the game when he came in....

“Shooting’s going to be important because Kobe can get by people. Lamar Odom can get by people. They’re going to shift the defense and it’s going to create open shots.”

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Tomjanovich on Chris Mihm, who has 19 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocked shots in 60 minutes: “I’m not going to say I’m surprised. Am I pleased the way he’s playing? Yeah. I still think that he’ll add some more to his game, with his confidence [going up]....

“I love his offensive rebounding and being active. With the drivers we have, the defense is always going to be shifting and there’s going to be lanes you can get in there and get those offensive rebounds. He’s always in there plugging away.”

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Divac, who has had back trouble, worked out by himself.

“He said he did some suicides [drills] today,” Tomjanovich said. “At a nice slow pace, but it’s progress.”