George Picks Dallas; Lakers’ Opener Set

Kobe Bryant will stand alone as the last on-court link to the Lakers’ most recent run of NBA championships when they open the season Oct. 31 against the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center.

Devean George, a Laker for seven seasons and a regular starter as recently as the 2004 playoffs, reached agreement Tuesday with the Dallas Mavericks, who welcome his championship experience. The free-agent forward is expected today to sign a two-year contract worth about $4.2 million that includes an opt-out clause after next season.

“There’s a lot of good memories,� George said. “The winning and the locker room with the guys, us joking with each other and laughing.� The run of titles from 2000-02, he added, was “gravy on top of the mashed potatoes.�

George, who made $5 million last season, signed a four-year, $18.5-million contract with the Lakers shortly after they swept the New Jersey Nets in the 2002 NBA Finals. He was a starter during the Lakers’ run to the Finals two years later and the answer to a trivia question, joining all-stars Bryant, Shaquille O’Neal, Karl Malone and Gary Payton in the starting five. But a series of injuries later stalled his career.

Joining the defending Western Conference champion Mavericks should give George “a chance to win a championship and sort of reestablish his value a little bit,� said his agent, Mark Bartelstein.

Said George, who averaged 6.0 points and 3.3 rebounds in 429 games with the Lakers: “Right now, they’re saying there’s a starting spot open; if not, then there’s a lot of minutes available for playing time, which I like to hear. Plus the national coverage the team gets, they’re a winning team. There’s a lot of positives.�

George, who turns 29 on Aug. 29, will make his first Staples Center appearance against the Lakers on Jan. 7, part of the NBA schedule that was released Tuesday.

The Lakers’ schedule includes 24 appearances on ABC, ESPN and TNT, again tying them for the league lead in national television exposure, and an eight-game trip in late January and early February, their longest since December 1989. Their Oct. 31 game against the Suns is the nightcap of an opening-night doubleheader on TNT, which earlier will show the Chicago Bulls against the Miami Heat.

ABC will kick off its coverage Dec. 25 by showing the Lakers’ game at Miami, the third year in a row that Bryant and the Lakers will play O’Neal and the Heat on Christmas Day. They meet again Jan. 15 at Staples Center.

The Clippers, who ended a nine-year playoff drought last spring and made it past the first round for the first time since moving to L.A., are scheduled to appear a club-record 11 times on ESPN and TNT. They also are tentatively scheduled to make an April 15 appearance on ABC.

Last season, the Clippers were scheduled to be shown once on ESPN or TNT, although that number increased as they drove to the playoffs. This season, their Nov. 1 opener at Phoenix will be televised by ESPN and their Nov. 2 Staples Center opener against the Denver Nuggets will be shown on TNT.

On Tuesday the Clippers signed free agent Aaron Williams, a 6-foot-9 forward and 12-year NBA veteran.

Times staff writer Mike Bresnahan contributed to this report.

* CLIPPERS, LAKERS SCHEDULES, D6