Unsettled Situation Doesn’t Faze Hamblen

Veteran assistant Frank Hamblen does not know whether he’s just a two-game fill-in for Coach Rudy Tomjanovich or whether he might take over the Lakers for the remainder of the season.

Either way, Hamblen, who is in his 35th year as a professional coach, said that he was ready.

“I’ve probably seen about all of it,” said Hamblen, 57, of his experiences in the NBA, which have included stints at Milwaukee, Chicago and the Lakers. “Whatever happens ... happens. You just try and do the job.”

With Tomjanovich thinking about stepping down as coach, Hamblen is the man on the hot seat. He coached the Lakers for the second consecutive game Tuesday night when they played the Portland Trail Blazers at Staples Center and walked off with his second win.

Hamblen denied reports that said he was not interested in becoming a full-time coach if Tomjanovich does not return.

“That is not accurate,” he said. “I have not talked to [owner] Dr. [Jerry] Buss at all, in case something does happen. I’m just trying to do my job.”

For now, Hamblen is content to wait for Tomjanovich’s decision. He said he spoke with the head coach Monday night.

“He was OK,” Hamblen said. “We did have a few laughs.”

Hamblen, a Laker assistant since 1999 and the owner of five NBA championship rings, said that although he has been on the bench for a ton of games in the league, it was still a huge jump taking over as head coach.

There’s a big difference “as far as setting the game plan as opposed to suggesting the game plan,” Hamblen said. “The whole thing changes.”

This is not the first time that Hamblen has been in this role. As an assistant with the Bucks in the 1980s, Hamblen had to replace Del Harris when he stepped down for medical reasons 15 games into the 1991-92 season.

The Bucks were 25-42 under Hamblen and Mike Dunleavy took over as coach the next season, when Hamblen returned to his role as an assistant. He served as an assistant under Phil Jackson with the Bulls from 1996 to 1998.

The players seemed to take their latest off-the-court drama in stride.

“I would have never thought that Rudy would resign, but if he’s having health problems, then I understand,” point guard Chucky Atkins said.

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Forward Devean George, who has not played this season because of surgery on his left ankle last summer, suffered a bruise to his right foot in practice recently and will be sidelined indefinitely, according to Laker officials.