Lakers Are Entering an Era of Uncertainty

The month leading up to training camp has historically been nap time for the Lakers, whose roster is usually filled with playoff-tested veterans who preferred to ease into work, the better to rest aging joints and championship-minded psyches.

But recent activity at the team’s HealthSouth Training Center suggests a change in approach. Along with several new faces, there is an energy and work ethic that team officials say is unprecedented.

“I’ve never seen this so early,� said Gary Vitti, who recently returned from a summer in Italy to begin his 21st season as Laker trainer. “I got off the plane on Sept. 8 and they had already started. I walked into a full house. I couldn’t believe how many guys were here strength training, shooting, doing drill work. There are guys coming back at night and shooting.�

One of the catalysts is Kobe Bryant. While Shaquille O’Neal has flexed his new physique on TV award shows and soaked in the life as unofficial mayor of Miami, Bryant has been conducting basketball business behind the scenes, calling Laker teammates on their cellphones and preaching the importance of early arrivals.

“He’s asking them to meet the coaches, meet each other and start working together and set the tone for what we’re about to do this year,� Vitti said. “With all the pressure, the changes that were made, a lot of heat was put on the team. I think a lot of people here feel pressure to succeed. I think they’re trying to set the tone very early that this is the way it’s going to be. This isn’t going to be la-la land.�

With new Coach Rudy Tomjanovich, a new system and only six players from last season’s bunch that sputtered in the Finals, there is competition for playing time.

Bryant will get his minutes, as will Lamar Odom. But after that, few positions are settled as the Lakers prepare to open training camp Oct. 5 in San Diego. The regular season begins Nov. 2 against the Denver Nuggets.

“There’s a lot more uncertainty as far as playing time,� Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak said. “Guys like Rick Fox, Karl Malone, Shaq and Derek Fisher, they knew exactly what they had to do. They didn’t have to impress the coach. That’s not the case this year.

“What that brings about, particularly with younger players, is they want to be ready and they want to earn some minutes. I guess with the exception of Kobe and Lamar, the thing is wide open as to who’s going to start and who’s going to play. It’s refreshing to see a gym that’s pretty active early. I’m not sure if it translates into ‘W’s or not, but it’s refreshing.�

The only negative so far is that center Vlade Divac was injured during one of the workouts. Perhaps showing a little too much enthusiasm for his age, the 36-year-old veteran sustained a herniated disk in his back while making a spin move during a drill.

“He was trying to move as quickly as James Worthy and his body said no,� Laker spokesman John Black said.

Divac is expected to miss most, if not all, of training camp, but Laker officials say they expect him to be ready for the start of the regular season.

Divac’s injury opens up an opportunity for another recently acquired player, Chris Mihm, who is among several Lakers at career crossroads.

Mihm, 25, has struggled with inconsistency since being drafted seventh overall in 2000 from the University of Texas. In four years and under five coaches with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, Mihm averaged 6.9 points and 5.0 rebounds, but the Lakers hope to represent the coaching stability he has lacked in the past.

There are other subplots, all followed by question marks.

* Caron Butler averaged 12.5 points in his first two pro seasons with the Miami Heat, but how much playing time will he get at the Lakers’ already overcrowded small forward position?

* Point guard Chucky Atkins spent two seasons as the Detroit Pistons’ starter, but his playing time slipped gradually until he was shipped last February to the Celtics. With Fisher now at Golden State and Gary Payton traded to the Celtics, will Atkins mesh as the projected ballhandler in the Lakers’ new up-tempo offense?

* Which Kareem Rush will report to camp -- the one who made six of seven three-pointers to finish off the Minnesota Timberwolves or the one who averaged only 3.6 points in the Finals?

* Rookie Sasha Vujacic is more of a shooting guard, but can he be a regular contributor at the point?

* The Lakers remember Jumaine Jones as a fresh-faced forward who started 14 playoff games for the Philadelphia 76ers as they made their way to the 2001 NBA Finals. But can he turn around a career that bottomed out last season with the Celtics amid averages of 2.2 points and 1.6 rebounds?

* And where does Luke Walton fit in after averaging 10.1 minutes a game his rookie season?

There are few firm answers in an unusually crowded gym, although Atkins is predicting that all will end well.

“We all know what the so-called experts are saying,� he said. “On the inside we think we have a pretty good team. We have a bunch of guys that are highly competitive. Mix that in with talent and you’re going to win some games.�