A Full Deck, but Ship Sinks

MINNEAPOLIS —  Well, they looked great in pregame introductions, didn’t they?

After 81 days of Lakerdom Held Hostage, Karl Malone returned Friday and the “greatest array of talent ever assembled on one roster” was reassembled, however ceremonially.

There were various suggestions of how far away the Lakers are in reality. Malone sat out the fourth quarter per doctor’s instructions. Kobe Bryant struggled with his sore shoulder. The Minnesota Timberwolves beat them, 96-86.

This was some time for a ceremony. Kissing the first-place Sacramento Kings goodbye, Coach Phil Jackson had been hoping to catch the Timberwolves so that the Lakers would be looking at only one series on the road in the Western draw.

A win would have drawn the Lakers to within one game in the loss column. The loss dropped them 3 1/2 games out, with Minnesota’s clinching the season series (3-0) and controlling ties. Unless the Timberwolves fall apart, any series in which they meet the Lakers will start here.

“It is interesting that it kind of boils down to a game that’s extremely critical and important,” said Jackson before the game, actually smiling. “And yet it’s good. It’s really good for our team....

“The playoffs are really the key. You have to understand that....

“At this particular time, Karl’s the most important thing.”

Phil being Phil, he says he isn’t worried and he doesn’t look worried, but if you’re a Laker fan and you’re worried, it’s OK, you’re entitled.

On top of everything, the Western draw will be tougher, and the biggest difference is the Timberwolves, who were a hard two weeks’ work last spring before they got Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell and Michael Olowokandi.

Olowokandi missed camp and most of the first half of the season, by which time the team was so exasperated, despite his bargain $5 million-a-year contract, it almost traded him.

Having recently discovered he’s a force on defense when healthy, they put him back in the starting lineup. However, the transition to three new players -- Troy Hudson and Wally Szczerbiak also missed most of the first half of the season -- threw them. They started the night losers of four of their last six.

“Michael’s got to make some adjustments and know he doesn’t have to shoot every time he touches it,” said Minnesota Coach Flip Saunders. “But he’s learning how to play....

“There’s a reason we signed him when we did. We made a decision at that time that we needed to play to see where he’s at, to see where we’re at....

“You also have to look at the situation down the road.”

Looking down the road, they see Shaquille O’Neal standing in the middle of it, not to mention Tim Duncan and Chris Webber, so Olowokandi’s audition continues.

As for those ever-positive-thinking Lakers, they were right there until Hudson, last spring’s nemesis, came off the bench and started raining three-pointers on them, outscoring all their reserves by himself, 19-17.

And for “Auld Lang Syne,” there was the Lakers’ very own Mad Dog, Mark Madsen, the world’s greatest bad player, going for six heartfelt points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes.

Meanwhile, Malone was looking extraordinary (“I’ve always said my training is harder than any game I play in. Sometime maybe they don’t believe me”) in a short stint and Bryant was hurting.

Let’s put it this way, in a perfect world you don’t want to be wondering whether one of your stars is taking so many shots left-handed because he’s in pain or just feels like it.

“You see him, he’s a little hesitant sometimes,” Malone said. “

Nobody ever said Bryant wasn’t a gamer, even if people wonder whose gamer he’ll be next season.

Finishing on the perfect note, he bumped into Madsen (who else?) and banged (what else?) his shoulder.

“Just a good crunch,” said trainer Gary Vitti.

“It’s going to be [like that] the rest of the season.”

Returning to the positive side, Bryant says he has normal range of motion, but, “it just hurts in that range of motion.”

Any more good news and they may fold the franchise.

This may actually be one of the greatest lineups ever but the question is, will anyone see it?

Sure. No sweat. Ask them.

“We have a lot of work to do, but the exciting part is, this is the team that everybody came here for,” Bryant said. “We have everybody on the floor. The exciting part about it is that we can start working toward capping off this season the right way.”

Who could ask for more?

Oh, right, everyone.