New Coach Will Face Much Work

As the Lakers drift closer to the inevitability of an early off-season, it’s obvious that whoever the new Laker coach is next year, he won’t be bored and unchallenged.

The Laker weaknesses are obvious as the team creeps closer to elimination, its dwindling playoff hopes possibly ending Tuesday in Phoenix.

The lapses in a defense that has given up 100 or more points in eight of the last nine games have been well-chronicled, and the offense also has critical flaws.

The Lakers made seven of 30 three-point attempts Thursday in a loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves and looked more like the disorganized free-for-all unit that existed under Rudy Tomjanovich than the methodical triangle offense Frank Hamblen hoped would evolve.

The Lakers set a team record Thursday for three-point baskets in a season and have now made 557, or 7.8 a game. That statistic might look good in Phoenix, where Shawn Marion and Amare Stoudemire can track down misses, but not so much for the Lakers.

During a timeout Thursday with 6 minutes 7 seconds left in the first quarter, Hamblen urged players to take better shots, saying that there had already been five three-point attempts. The Lakers dialed it down the rest of the quarter ... and shot four more.

“We were just settling so darn much,” Hamblen said.

Chucky Atkins made two of eight in the game and Devean George made one of six. Caron Butler and Jumaine Jones each missed their three attempts.

The view from the post wasn’t pleasant. “It’s tough because long shots mean long rebounds,” center Chris Mihm said.

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A video-game simulation that took place in November and played out the entire NBA season had the Lakers finishing 10th in the Western Conference with a 39-43 record. Not a bad prediction.

The video game, NBA Live 2005, had the Sacramento Kings, with Chris Webber, defeating the Miami Heat in six games to win the championship.

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TONIGHT

at San Antonio, 5:30 PST, Channel 9

Site -- SBC Center, San Antonio.

Radio -- 570; 1330.

Records -- Lakers 33-38; Spurs 53-19.

Record vs. Spurs -- 3-0.

Update -- The Spurs had little trouble in three victories over the Lakers, winning by an average of 16 points. The Spurs have gone 3-2 without Tim Duncan, put on the injured list March 21 because of a severely sprained right ankle.

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Three for All

With a reduced offensive presence inside this season, the Lakers have gone to the three-point shot as a key weapon. The Lakers’ average three-point baskets and shots per game since the 1980s, with the percentage of their offense it represents:

*--* Season 3-pt 3-pt att Pct 2004-05 7.8 21.9 23.9% 2003-04 4.5 13.6 13.6% 2002-03 5.9 16.7 17.7% 2001-02 6.2 17.5 18.4% 2000-01 5.4 15.5 16.0% 1999-00 4.2 12.8 12.5% 1998-99 4.8 13.7 14.6% 1997-98 6.1 17.3 17.2% 1996-97 6.7 18.3 20.2% 1995-96 5.8 16.6 17.0% 1994-95 6.4 18.2 18.3% 1993-94 2.9 9.8 8.8% 1992-93 2.3 7.6 6.6% 1991-92 1.5 5.4 4.3% 1990-91 2.8 9.1 7.8% 1989-90 3.8 10.3 10.2%

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