[0] ROAD-WEARY LAKERS BITTEN BY GRIZZLIES IN SLOPPY GAME : VANCOUVER 93 LAKERS 83.

Byline: Howard Beck Daily News Staff Writer

Before they could welcome Dennis ``Bad as I Wanna Be'' Rodman to their ranks, the Lakers turned as bad as they could possibly be in the space of 48 minutes Tuesday night.

What consecutive losses to Seattle and Denver couldn't do on this trip, a third straight setback - this one, an inexcusable 93-83 defeat to the Vancouver Grizzlies - did accomplish. It sent the Lakers into turmoil.

And sent them behind closed doors, for a 21-minute, players-only meeting called by co-captain Derek Harper.

With the coaching staff and trainers locked out in the hallway, Harper delivered a bellowing lecture that resonated through the locker-room walls. And now the Lakers have more than just an 0-3 road trip and 6-6 record to think about.

``This team doesn't lose three games in a row and not have things to clear up,'' Rick Fox said.

``It was a meeting to address where we are as a team. Obviously, we're bleeding as a team,'' Harper said. ``Before you can talk about being a champion, you have to prepare to be that.''

A champion, or even anything resembling a contender, the Lakers are not. And the imminent arrival of Dennis Rodman and return of Robert Horry won't be enough to fix the mess the Lakers created on this road trip.

The loss to the Grizzlies was their first in 13 meetings since Vancouver entered the league. The 35.4 shooting percentage was the Lakers' second worst of the season. And the level of embarrassment and frustration was hardly quantifiable.

``I'm very (ticked) off at myself,'' said co-captain Shaquille O'Neal, ``and with the rest of the team, I'm not happy at all.''

``Each person on our team has to look in the mirror and evaluate what they're doing,'' O'Neal added, ``rather than, `He's not doing this, he's not doing that.' ''

Ragged play was almost expected, with the Lakers playing their third game in 55 hours, in their third city and their second country. But that wasn't an explanation anyone was offering afterward.

``The first game (at Seattle) was a tough game,'' O'Neal said. ``The last two we had (Denver and Vancouver) shouldn't have been tough. We're supposed to beat teams like that.''

The team meeting was part lecture by Harper, part discussion, and ended at 21 minutes only because the team had a plane to catch, and a dozen reporters waiting outside, one player said. Otherwise, it might have gone for an hour.

``I don't want say it's panic time,'' said Elden Campbell, ``but it's getting there.''

After a plane ride home that will probably feel much longer than the three hours it takes, the Lakers will have time to regroup. Rodman and Horry will practice today and be available to play Thursday night. And the next two games are conveniently against the Clippers - though even that matchup provides no sure thing for a Lakers team that is every bit as average as its .500 record right now.

But O'Neal, perhaps sensing that a collapse such as this will lead to quick judgments about Lakers personnel, made one thing clear in the wake of it all - the blame shouldn't fall anywhere but on the players. And if need be, on him.

``Don't blame Del, don't blame Jerry West,'' O'Neal said, referring to coach Del Harris and Lakers executive West. ``It's my fault. I gotta get my guys more ready. I've gotta curse some people out.''

And maybe, after all is said and done, the man presumed to be more distraction than asset will be exactly the infusion of new life the Lakers need. Rodman arrives today.

``It's a new face coming in, it's a change,'' Kobe Bryant said. ``He definitely is gonna give us a burst of energy.''

Right about now, the Lakers will take what they can get. Even if it comes in a dress.

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