Ankle Surgery Causing George to Fall Behind

Devean George spins around invisible defenders, stutter-stepping alongside the court during Laker practices.

A few feet away, on the other side of the painted line, his teammates run at full speed, leaving George behind as a mere afterthought until he completely recovers from off-season ankle surgery.

George started 19 of the Lakers’ 22 playoff games last season, but he will start the regular season on the bench. He is at least a month from returning and there are no guarantees his starting spot is waiting for him.

George has inevitably fallen behind in sponging up the nuances of Coach Rudy Tomjanovich’s offense. Compounding his problem is a glut of small forwards with guaranteed contracts: Caron Butler, Luke Walton and Jumaine Jones are all ahead of him at the Lakers’ most overcrowded position, and Lamar Odom could also play there if moved from power forward.

“It’s rough sitting on the sidelines, watching everybody go through things while not being able to get out there,” George said. “This is the first time I’ve ever had to sit out.

“Once I get healthy, I’ll start working on how I am going to fit in, how I am going to find my little niche to get my playing time. First things first.... I’m not even going to be thinking about playing time right now. I’m just trying to get healthy.”

George, in his sixth season, averaged a career-best 7.4 points last season, but Phil Jackson’s triangle offense has been replaced by an up-tempo scheme, another reason George’s recovery comes at an inopportune time.

“I’m sure it’s going to take some time to get into all this stuff because he went from a system that had very little calls and terminology to one that’s probably got as much as anybody in the league,” Tomjanovich said. “It’s going to be an adjustment.

“These guys have done a good job, but a guy who’s been out, it’s going to be tough just jumping right in.”

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Butler had 18 points and Chris Mihm had 17 points in the Lakers’ 105-80 victory Tuesday against the weary Sacramento Kings at Save Mart Center. Chris Webber, Peja Stojakovic and Chris Webber did not play after the first quarter for Sacramento, which played an exhibition game Saturday in China. “Tonight we got a break.... We got a team that’s very tired,” Tomjanovich said. “They didn’t play their starters a lot. We did what we should have done.” ... Kobe Bryant had 10 points on two-for-10 shooting and five assists.