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Karl Malone still is not quite sure what is going on. How did he wind up here, in a humid gym on the campus of the University of Hawaii, anyway? What's he doing with a gold and purple uniform and No. 11 on his back? Why is he spending his time wandering in a triangle, when he should be picking and rolling like always? And -- wait a minute, did he really agree to an $18 million pay cut to be here?
"It's a little bit of a curveball for me, yeah," Malone says. "It will take some getting used to."
Gary Payton knows
how he feels. Sitting a bounce pass away from Malone, the 14-year point guard
says he has yet to tune in to the reality of his new situation: playing in Hollywood
with three potential Hall of Fame teammates, the task of running a new and unfamiliar
offense, a heap of pressure. Oh, and a paycheck that comes in at slightly more
than one-third of the $12.6 million he made last year.
"It's still like a dream," Payton says. "It still has not hit
me that I am a Laker now. But it will, and I will be ready for that." Ticketmaster
It wasn't a terribly difficult summer for the Lakers in the free-agent hunt -- Malone and Payton, desperate to be champs, fell into the team's lap at the bargain rate of $6.4 million combined -- but, still, general manager Mitch Kupchak and the gang did well to ensure that the possibility of Payton and Malone became reality. When it comes to roster-building, landing Payton and Malone for that money is like having Pavarotti come to your high school auditorium and announce that he wants to coach the glee club. The Lakers now are certifiably stacked, with Payton and Malone joining the inside-out combo of Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant. That's a combined career scoring average of 92.8 points per game, and 38 All-Star selections among them.
Ask Lakers assistant Tex Winter, who helped coach Phil Jackson win six championships with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen in Chicago, where this team's talent ranks on the list of teams he's coached and he says, "This is the most talent. By far."
The Lakers' acquisitions did not send any white cloth scurrying up the flagpoles, though. Instead, once the Lakers assembled their murderers-row starting five, the league's other top teams were pushed toward big-time transactions, too. In the halls of NBA front offices, in the power lunches, agent meetings and cell-phone parleys, it was a summer of impressive work by the league's best teams. The Kings got All-Star center Brad Miller. The Timberwolves brought in Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell and Michael Olowokandi and laid out for a contract extension for Kevin Garnett. The Mavericks got Antawn Jamison, a proven scorer and a favorite of coach Don Nelson. The defending-champion Spurs lost David Robinson but plugged in a better perimeter cast around Tim Duncan with the addition of Hedo Turkoglu, Ron Mercer and Robert Horry. Ticketmaster
When Payton and Malone were introduced as new Lakers, Malone said that with this roster, "from the first preseason game, we want to crush you." Payton nodded in agreement. But that tune has changed a bit, especially after other teams improved, too. "We're going to have targets on us," Payton says. "Nobody's going to hand us anything. We have got to go out and work for it."
Ah, yes, work. It's about that time. For all the rebuilt rosters among championship contenders, there's still much work to be done to show how these added parts will fit together. Around the league, changes are afoot, new construction is under way -- whether it's building with rookie superstar LeBron James in Cleveland, constructing a new cast of players around Garnett in Minnesota or bringing in a new coach, as 10 NBA teams did this offseason. But make no mistake, all eyes are focused on the uber-roster in L.A. New Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy says the Lakers should challenge the league record of 72 wins. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich estimates 65 to 70 wins. Cavaliers coach Paul Silas says he's glad to be in the East because "the Lakers are going to be focused, and they're going to look to destroy everyone in their path."
"They've got a very deep team," says Warriors broadcaster and former NBA guard Jim Barnett. "It all has to come together, but you look at what they have got, and they have four Hall of Famers. That has to make this one of the great teams in the history of the game. They just have to go out and play that way now."
Jackson has more pressing concerns than the rank of this team in NBA history. It's easy for opposing coaches to pile on the pressure by saying the Lakers should go 82-0, but Jackson always is cautious at this time of year. He sees plenty that needs work and can sense possible pitfalls ahead. The Lakers have a roster that looks worthy of history, but asterisks and footnotes abound, the kind of subplots that spice this team with more drama than any of its rivals. Heck, there's more drama here than on daytime TV. Ticketmaster
Start with the obvious. In early July, while Payton and Malone were mulling the cut-rate offers from L.A., the district attorney in Eagle, Colo., was mulling the possibility of charging Bryant with sexual assault. When those charges became reality, the Lakers' summer mojo diminished. Bryant showed up to training camp last week for a few days, but the stress of the legal charge, combined with rehab from shoulder and knee surgeries, left him out of shape and unable to practice with his teammates. He also has shed much of the muscle he worked hard to add last summer, though he says that was intentional, so that he could keep up with point guards on the defensive end. (Payton will handle shooting guards.)
Bryant did not play in the Lakers' first two preseason games because he had to return to Colorado for a preliminary hearing. Not a good start. Bryant, of all the Lakers, must spend time on the court with his teammates because he will have to make the biggest adjustment in his game -- he will be asked to spread the ball around more and reduce the number of shots he takes. It will be difficult to establish continuity with him if he must deal with legal matters and if he isn't fully conditioned. There also is the matter of his mental state. Bryant actually was present for the preseason opener but spent the pregame dodging reporters, then ducked into a private room at the arena to watch the game. "It has the potential to be a very difficult situation," Jackson says. "If it clears up, if the trial is put off, it gives Kobe a whole season to just go out and play, and it gives him relief. If the trial is in the middle of the season and he's going to have to prep for that -- it t akes a lot of work to go through the trial -- that could be a distraction."
There's also O'Neal, who reported to camp looking relatively svelte but carrying a chip on his shoulder (which is not always a bad thing; most scouts will tell you that O'Neal is at his best when he is challenged, and Jackson likes to needle him to get him to perform). Early in camp, O'Neal told reporters that he hasn't been happy with the way Jackson has used him or hounded him to lose weight. He insists that the Lakers win when he has the ball and that he is at his best when he is packed with bulk. "My only request is that he lets me be me," O'Neal says.
O'Neal also is afraid he's being slighted by the organization, too. He is eligible for a contract extension and says he is capable of playing eight more years. But the Lakers are reluctant to commit to an extension now. In the third quarter of the Lakers' preseason opener in Hawaii, while O'Neal was dominating Warriors backup Popeye Jones, he made certain to gesture toward Lakers owner Jerry Buss, who was sitting courtside. The message was clear: The big guy wants to be paid, and it will bother him if he is not. The last time O'Neal was extension-eligible, the Lakers were coming off their first championship with him aboard, in 2000. "The last time they took care of it, we (went on to win) three in a row," O'Neal says. "So if you believe in history and how history repeats itself, then you know. I always give my maximum. On a good toe or an injured toe, I always give my maximum. And that's all I want in return."
There's the problem of the triangle offense, too, which can give fits to the uninitiated. Payton has been at his best in hectic, uptempo schemes, but the triangle values patience. It also needs good perimeter shooting from the point guard, and Payton's 3-point accuracy fell all the way to 29.7 percent last year, his second lowest since he began shooting 3s in earnest nine years ago. Malone, of course, worked in the same pick-and-roll set-up in Utah with point guard John Stockton for 18 years. To prepare for the challenges of the triangle, Malone says he watched tapes over the summer of how the Lakers run their offense. He finally gave up and decided the only way he'd learn is by playing in it, and even still, the nuances are lost on him. The Lakers have, so far, kept everything basic. "It's going to take a while to get that all figured out," Malone says. "But we're all basketball players here, so we can't get too caught up in worrying about the system." Ticketmaster
Though Payton and Malone continue to put up big numbers, they're also past their primes, on a team that is generally old. Payton is 35; Malone is 40. The Lakers' other signings were 32-year-old wingman Bryon Russell and 38-year-old power forward Horace Grant. Both Payton and Malone are in excellent shape, though, and Malone says, "If I can still keep running the floor, if I can be one of the first guys down the floor on the break, that is my sign. When the other guys start waiting on me, you won't have to tell me. I'll be the first to know."
Sure, there are on-court questions and off-court distractions galore around this Lakers super team, and 70-win suggestions are premature. With the comfort of knowing the season still was weeks away, the Lakers were able to sit back and reflect on how easy it will be to share, even with so many players who are accustomed to dominating the ball. Payton and Malone seem comfortable with sacrificing their own numbers. That could change -- some sloppy play might lead Payton or Malone to think they should take over the game. But Payton sees that as unlikely. "I'm going to have the ball in my hands most, and I will tell you, I will make sure we get it to (O'Neal)," he says. "I will make sure everyone's getting what they're supposed to."
That has O'Neal encouraged. He, Malone and Payton already have developed a chemistry. They sit together on the bench during games and discuss plays, the opponent and extracurricular activities. They laugh easily. O'Neal admits that he did not like Malone much before Malone came to the Lakers, but they have become fast friends. "I love those guys," O'Neal says. "They've always been hungry. They don't have any. I've got three championships, and I'm still hungry. So we're all hungry here."
Jackson says he has been impressed by the willingness of Malone and Payton, despite their experience and ages, to accept instruction and apply it. Both are, potentially, good fits in the Lakers offense. Payton must focus on feeding O'Neal and must rediscover his 3-point shot. He should not be afraid to break ranks, though. "It's still basketball," Payton says. "Everybody talks about the triangle. No matter what the offense is, I have got to be able to do the things I do best." Put the ball on the floor, for instance, and work mismatches in the post.
As for Malone, ultimately, the triangle will take advantage of his ability to set jaw-breaking picks and draw defenders out while he takes 15-foot jumpers. He must be willing to get in the paint and go after weakside rebounds, though, punishing defenses that overplay O'Neal. Despite his age, Malone, remember, is not exactly following a dazzling line of Laker power forwards. To sum up the team's power forward situation last year, here are two words: Samaki Walker. These are not high standards Malone must meet.
Still, Jackson says, from a chemistry standpoint, "this is one of the greatest challenges I have ever faced."
But player relations are Jackson's strength. He guided the Bulls through the hoopla around Jordan, and though his challenges are many this season, he's the best in basketball at getting personalities to meld. The day after Bryant made his first appearance at training camp, surrounded by a swarm of media that had some of the Lakers feeling squeamish, Jackson already had planned a surprise getaway. He took the team to Bellows Air Force base on Oahu to take a break from shooting jumpers and, instead, shoot each other with paintball pellets. (O'Neal, Malone, Bryant and Payton each served as commander of his own team.)
"That," Malone says, "was fun. (Jackson) wanted to get our minds off everything and let us get to know each other. It worked."
Perhaps it all will work. The chemistry will click, the distractions will fade, the triangle offense will triangulate. The Lakers are undergoing a daring experiment in which only a championship -- and, they'd prefer, one that comes as they "crush" all comers -- will be considered success. It's still October, and the bulk of all the footnotes and subplots that will turn up this season have yet to be written. The Lakers have built the most impressive roster in the league. All that is left is to make it work on the court.