[0] RIGHT MIX FOR LAKERS; RICE AND REID HELP L.A. EXTEND WIN STREAK TO 10 : LAKERS 89 G. STATE 78.

Byline: Howard Beck Daily News Staff Writer

Business transactions ceased and basketball resumed Friday at the Forum, and the old Lakers mixed with the new - a bushel of imported talents, plucked from all reaches of the NBA, from retirement homes in Chicago to broken homes in Charlotte.

At the helm, a new coach mixed and matched lineups and looked for effective combinations as players tried on their new uniforms and introduced themselves to one another.

The NBA schedule said it was Game 22, but for the megamorphing power Lakers, this was training camp all over again.

Fortunately for them, the opponent played like a team that skipped training altogether, as the new-look Lakers rolled over the Golden State Warriors 89-78.

Not a bad outing for a retooled Lakers team that has undergone more facelifts than Joan Rivers.

And with prettier results. But then, that was expected when the Lakers acquired sharpshooter Glen Rice in Wednesday's trade with Charlotte. The 21 shots he took showed his surgically repaired elbow was sound, but the 13 shots he missed were clear evidence of his 10-month layoff from basketball.

And his game-high 21 points were simply an indicator of the Lakers' future.

``I think tonight I was rusty,'' Rice confirmed. ``Everybody kept asking me about my elbow. My elbow was fine, but my legs felt like I was running in mud.''

No matter. Rice missed all four of his 3-point attempts but shot often enough to hurt the Warriors and keep them from corralling Shaquille O'Neal (20 points) and Kobe Bryant (18).

It all combined to give the Lakers their 10th straight win and coach Kurt Rambis a record 9-0 start to his career. The fast start ties the NBA record set by Buddy Jeannette of the Baltimore Bullets in 1947.

``It means absolutely nothing to me,'' Rambis said dourly. More impressive to

him was Rice's resiliency after surgery and a prolonged offseason.

``That's amazing for someone to step in and do,'' Rambis said, ``to hit the shots he did and free throws and even get up and down the court after having all that time off and he hasn't played.''

J.R. Reid, packaged with Rice in the trade, made a smaller but significant impression with six points, two rebounds, an assist and a hustling backcourt steal in 17 minutes. He easily earned the time behind Travis Knight and the Lakers' other recent import, Chicago alumnus Dennis Rodman, who was quiet on this night because of elbow soreness.

Still recovering from the trade of Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell and adjusting to all the new parts, the Lakers nevertheless played like the title contenders they are billed to be.

They efficiently built a 21-point lead by halftime against the improved Warriors and extended it to 75-52 by the end of three quarters. The only downside were injuries to Rodman and Derek Harper (sprained ankle) and a brief fourth-quarter slide.

The Lakers frittered their 23-point fourth-quarter lead, allowing the Warriors to pull within 11 points. Rambis was forced to send O'Neal back into the game with 6:33 left and a suddenly shaky 14-point lead. Golden State faded after that.

Chalk it up to the big early lead, Rambis said. But as for the adjusting to all the new faces, that transition appears to be moving quickly.

``It was like Game 1, right?'' Rick Fox said of the new mix. ``It's not a bad situation. What you saw out there was not a smooth run, but it was a strong showing.''

Fox got the start at small forward, where Rice will eventually be. Rice came in for Fox at the 3:57 mark in the first quarter and was greeted warmly by the 17,505 in attendance. He started slowly, missing his first three shots.

``Any time a team has to adjust to anything, there's gonna be problems,'' Rambis said of the changes. ``You try to do the best job you can whenever you have to make an adjustment.''

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos, 2 Boxes

Photo: (1--Color) Glen Rice, the Lakers' new designated sharpshooter, started slowly but finished with 21 points.

David Sprague/Daily News

(2--Color) Glen Rice

(3--Color) Former Laker Eddie Jones (pictured) made his Charlotte debut Friday night, scoring 14 points in the Hornets' win.

Box: (1) INSTANT IMPACTS

(2) GAME RECAP