No Rodman, No Problem at Practice

It was a no-Dennis, no-problem kind of Laker practice at L.A. Southwest College on Monday. Dennis Rodman was missing, excused, and only casually discussed.

The 11 other active Lakers made it to practice, but Rodman called several members of the organization before 11 a.m. to inform them he couldn’t make it to the workout, the team said.

“[Rodman being excused] was my decision and management’s decision,” Coach Kurt Rambis said. “He had some personal things that he had to take care of today and it’s an excused absence.”

Rodman, who was late to his first practice last month and has a history of no-shows, late-shows and sideshows, also has helped trigger the Lakers’ current seven-game winning streak.

“Because it’s Dennis, everybody’s going to blow it all out of proportion,” Rambis said.

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Rambis said he spoke with Eddie Jones late last week to try to get the all-star guard back on steady emotional ground after hearing his name in trade rumors from the start of training camp, most involving a deal with the Charlotte Hornets for Glen Rice.

The trade deadline is Thursday.

“It’s obviously affected Eddie,” Rambis said. “I had a talk with him. It’s unfortunate that our business has to treat people like pieces of meat, it really is. . . .

“I know what it’s like. I remember how tough it was when James Worthy got mentioned in a trade, Michael Cooper, myself. It’s tough, it really is. It’s really something that preys on these guys.

“But ultimately, there’s nothing a player can do except control what he does on the court. How he plays, how he feels, how happy he is . . . you just let the chips fall where they may.”

On Sunday, Shaquille O’Neal tried a little on-court counseling of his own with Jones, averaging only 13.4 points and shooting only 42.4% from the field after averaging 16.9 points and shooting 48.4% last season.

“I told him when they’re doubling and I kick it out to you, do something with it,” O’Neal said. “He said OK. I told him to shoot [it]. Just trying to get him involved, just trying to keep his head in the game.”