LAKERS NOTEBOOK: BOUT UNDER BASKET II? SHAQ UNDECIDED ON FACING BULLS.

Byline: Howard Beck Staff Writer

EL SEGUNDO - This is all Shaquille O'Neal's storyline to weave now, the fate of his toe, the Lakers and perhaps Brad Miller's skull all predicated on O'Neal's mood when he limps into Staples Center tonight.

O'Neal can sit this one out, if he chooses, and suck the drama out of an anticipated rematch with the Chicago Bulls. That path would benefit O'Neal's arthritic right big toe, which could then enjoy about nine days off.

Or O'Neal, who occasionally acts on ego and anger, could choose to play - if nothing else, for the chance to dunk a dozen times on Miller, aka the ``bum.'' And of course, to exact revenge for the events of Jan. 12, when Miller and Charles Oakley hacked and Shaq swung and the Lakers lost in overtime, then lost their leader to a three-game suspension.

Coach Phil Jackson would prefer O'Neal rest tonight, figuring the Lakers, sans Shaq, should be capable of winning a home game against the league's worst team. But this is O'Neal's call, and as of Tuesday morning he had not made a decision.

``Not yet,'' he said.

When? ``Don't know. But I won't tell you.''

And with that, O'Neal retreated to the safe haven of the trainer's room.

``We're leaning towards not playing him tomorrow, there's no doubt about it,'' Jackson said. ``If Shaq said, 'I want to play and that's all there is to it,' we'd be more than willing to be compliant and put him in the game.''

A final decision won't be made until just before tipoff.

The rematch could be a dud all the way around. Oakley's flagrant-foul talents will be hampered by a sore right wrist that's caused him to miss two consecutive games. Miller has a sore left hand, pinkie and ring finger, but is talking tough and mocking O'Neal.

``I'm not going to chicken out,'' Miller said. ``If I weighed 350, I wouldn't be missing the game.''

Said Oakley: ``I ain't worried about Shaq. It's not a fight. It's a basketball game. Nothing was supposed to happen last time. We'll play the same way we played the last time.''

When last these teams parted, Kobe Bryant announced there would be payback, in the form of a butt-kicking in L.A. He's mellowed a bit in the 25 days since.

``We're going to go out there and just win it. That's all,'' Bryant said. ``I think all season long, every team that we lost to, we bounce back to try to avenge that defeat. And this is no different.''

Well, maybe a little different. Senses will be heightened, referees' tolerance probably shortened. It's a matter of NBA policy that refs discuss Jan. 12 before officiating this game, so fouls will no doubt be called tightly and quickly.

``If not,'' said Samaki Walker, ``I guess you're in for a similar situation.''

Any lingering tension should be mitigated by the knowledge that a repeat incident could carry grave consequences.

``I think Brad Miller saw the replay, I think he saw the punch Shaq tried to throw at him,'' Bryant said. ``I don't think he's going to try to put himself in that predicament again. I don't really see anything like that happening. We're all professionals here.''

--Toe time: Unbeknownst to anyone in the organization, O'Neal visited a podiatrist at the UCLA Medical Center on Monday, seeking an independent opinion on his toe. Nothing new came of it, though the team's medical staff is awaiting a briefing from the doctor.

Jackson said the Lakers are investigating various shoe inserts to alleviate some of the pain. O'Neal has already changed orthotics once, and upped his shoe size, from 22 to 23, with encouraging results.

O'Neal is expected to play in Sunday's All-Star Game regardless of what happens tonight. However, Jackson is mulling whether to hold him out of next Tuesday's home game against Washington. That would buy O'Neal another two days of rest before the schedule gets heavy again.

``We may take this to be the longest duration we possibly can make, to get him in the best health that he can get into, before he resumes playing a continuous schedule,'' Jackson said. ``And from mid-February on through March, we're pretty hectic.''

LAKERS vs. CHICAGO

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m., Staples Center.

TV/Radio: Fox Sports Net; 570-AM, 1330-AM (Spanish).

Lakers (33-12) update: With a victory tonight, they would head into the All-Star break on a five-game winning streak, and with a significantly better winning percentage (.739) than they had a year ago at the break (31-16, .660). The Lakers haven't lost a home game to the Bulls since Feb. 2, 1996.

Bulls (10-36) update: They're 2-22 on the road, including a 97-91 upset at Seattle on Saturday. Compton product Tyson Chandler has started at power forward the last two games, producing 6.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. Ron Mercer, who scored 28 points against the Lakers on Jan. 12, is on the injured list. Charles Oakley (sore right wrist) has missed the last two games and is not expected to play.

- Howard Beck

CAPTION(S):

box

Box:

LAKERS vs. CHICAGO (see text)